The Debt
by iluvaqt
Summary: Slade swore an oath that he would make Oliver paid in blood. He isn't done collecting. Oliver and the team learn just how deep his trail from the Island runs. With much more to lose than he knows, will Oliver be able to save his family this time? AU After "The Climb" S03E09. Post: What You Wish For. What does Felicity's absentee father have to do with Slade Wilson?
1. Ultimatum

Disclaimer: I don't have ownership of these characters or their stories. They belong to their respective creators, DC Comics, theCW, Andrew Kreisbreg, Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim. The story is not for sale or resale, it is written solely for Arrow fans. No money is being made from the use of these characters.

* * *

Oliver shook his head to push through the last effects of the drugs. The room was coming into focus and he could see that he was in an unfurnished high rise, they probably planned it as an office space.

His limbs felt numb, bloodless. His arms were stretched out above him and his legs were shackled to the floor.

Whoever had him, was playing it smart. He couldn't dislocate his thumbs because his hands were chained separately. And he was shirtless but not boot or pants-less so he couldn't slip his feet free either by pulling on them. There wasn't enough slack in either of the chains to gain any kind of leverage.

An elevator sounded and he looked up as footsteps sounded on the cement floor. When the man's shiloutte came into view he didn't need to see his face to know who it was. His heart took up a thundering beat in his chest and he felt a roaring in his ears and for the first time in his life he started praying. Not for himself but his family. That whatever Slade had planned, he desperately needed his family to be spared. Surely his mother's sacrifice and his own death would be enough to satisfy his thirst for vengeance. Now that he was freed from the Mirakuru and he'd been clean for months he hoped he could appeal to what might remain of the man he had once known. A man he would have risked his life for.

"You've got me," he said quietly, pleading. "If there's anything left of the man I knew, the man I called my friend, please leave my family alone. They've suffered so much already. You've spilled more blood than you could ever wash out. Be a better man, Slade. Be a better man for Joe, for Shado."

Slade's face was a cold mask, his one eye studying Oliver hatefully. "You of all people should know how I deal with traitors, kid. I don't have friends, I don't have lovers, only allies. Anything else is a distraction, it makes you weak. And you've been plenty distracted lately haven't you? I told you one more person had to die before I could end your misery. It had to be someone you loved. Sara is gone, your mother is dead. Thea is safe, The Dark Archer has made sure of that. A few others however... So many to choose from, your family, Team Arrow isn't it? How quaint," he sneered. "Bring them," he roared.

Oliver started to struggle, the metal cords tearing into his wrists. "Slade, don't. Please," he said. His eyes widening as he saw two men pushing forward two smaller bodies wearing hoods. "You said she was safe," he bit out desperately.

Slade had Thea and Felicity and he was going to make him choose again, his head was spinning and his heart felt like it was going to explode out of his chest. He wanted to die, he couldn't bear it. He wouldn't watch either of the women he loved die because of him.

When they came into the light his heart skipped a beat. He didn't recognise either of the captives. One looked to be a kid, no more than about seven. The other was a woman, but she had long brown hair so it wasn't Felicity or Thea.

"Your Felicity. We have special plans for her. But this, you shouldn't have been surprised at what my associates discovered, after all your reputation as an unrepentant bad boy in your youth was well documented."

Slade gestured and the hoods were removed. Oliver recognised her face, he'd seen her not so long ago and in Central City, when Felicity had got him to concede in helping Barry. He remembered her from one of his many flings during his rough patches with Laurel when she was angry and not sleeping with him. He startled when he realised what the boy represented. She had lied to him. She hadn't lost the baby. Why would she lie? She had a promising college acceptance waiting, and her family weren't happy with the situation. She would have struggled alone unless... It dawned that this was another one of his mother's secrets. Something she'd done to absolve him of responsibility and consequences he should have shouldered but like the weak spoiled kid he'd been, he'd cried to his mother and she fixed everything.

"Shoot him and I will let you go. Shoot him, tell him what a disgrace and coward he is, that he doesn't even acknowledge his own son. Do it and your boy will be safe."

Sandra hesitantly took the gun. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably.

The boy looked frantically between Oliver and his mother. "Mom, don't. You can't shoot him. Mom?" he said in a panic, his face pale and terrified.

Oliver couldn't tell if there was concern for him in the boy's voice or he was just frightened for himself and his mother. Whatever the cause, he knew the boy's plea wouldn't find mercy with Slade.

"Close your eyes, kid," Slade ordered gruffly, his voice carrying a suspicious trace of care.

The boy looked at Slade with venom. "Leave us alone, just let us go," he spat.

Slade laughed darkly and approached them. Sandra flinched and tried to put herself between Slade and her son as he approached. She started to raise the gun and Slade smiled.

"You've still got the safety on, sweetheart. Don't worry, I won't harm the boy."

He crouched down to the boy's level. "I like you, you got guts and fire, kid. You remind me of a man I once knew. A friend, when I still believed in such things, but you'll do as I say." Without ceremony he yanked the hood back over his head.

Ignoring the boy's struggles and curses in the grip of his captor, Slade took Sandra's hands, flicked off the safety and helped her aim, before releasing her hands and standing behind her shoulder.

"Now, do it."

"Oliver, I'm sorry," she sobbed.

The shot rang out and echoed through the largely empty office building. The only sound that followed was muffled crying.


	2. Subjugation

It didn't matter how much Roy talked her up, Thea could never take Laurel seriously. She had never seen Sara in action but she knew perfectly well that your clothing and your fighting stance were extremely important. If Laurel was emulating the previous Canary, the woman must have been a phenomenal fighter to be able to see through those loose fake locks and focus without worrying about losing her hair mid-flight.

Unless you were supposed to be like an IMF agent or something, you didn't have the luxury of a elaborate disguise. In a no holds barred fight you needed to be flexible, fast and fluid. Fake hair flying around, more buckles and straps (all the better to toss you with, my pretty) than you could wave a stick at and a police baton? There was a reason those were accessorised with a shield. On their own, they weren't great as defensive/offensive weapons.

It made her itch to challenge Laurel every time they paired up on a job, just to make her point. Laurel kept to herself mostly, so for the sake of keeping the peace, Thea kept her peeves to herself.

"Canary, I'll take the back. See you inside."

They worked efficiently and it was only later when they came under fire trying to get closer to drug lab, that things got dicey.

"Now's a good time for a Canary bomb," Thea pointed out.

She saw Laurel nodded and unclip the small disc shaped device. The boys where in another part of town, taking down the money laundering arm of this operation. They'd expected the boss on that side to have the extra muscle, so they'd let the girls handle this on their own.

Thea closed her eyes and covered her ears. Even when ready and bracing, these things still managed to make her feel off balance. It's like she could feel the vibrations in her blood. She'd hate to see what would happen if whoever was making these things for Laurel decided to kick it up a notch.

The blinding light faded and she peeked to find all of the men out on the floor, blood trickling from their ears.

Shots ran out again and Thea could see a woman wearing ear muffs stumbling around blindly. She was shooting at random points and at that rate she'd hit them with a lucky shot. Thea rolled from cover to another spot behind a cabinet, throwing a tranq dart at her while in motion.

A heavy thud signaled her target was down. She took another look in her spot mirror and find it all clear, she stood up, breaking out her plastic ties. She touched her comm. "Lab secure. Call it in, home base."

_"Sending in our friends in blue. Stay safe, Speedy,"_ Felicity's voice acknowledged.

Thea smiled to herself at her friend's concern. She was like a regular mother hen sometimes. And Thea thought it was adorable.

She kicked the weapons clear and started trying up the whimpering thugs. She picked up the half naked cooks and packers who where crying and cowering under the tables and hustled them outside. When she could see the strobing lights approaching, she shot her grapple line to the roof and hit the ground running.

"Canary, are you clear?"

She heard heavy breathing and a grunted,_ "All clear."_

Thea scowled at her nagging thought but grudgingly offered a token farewell of, "Thanks for the team up." Before signing off the second channel to Laurel.

She crossed two more rooftops before she slid down the fire escape to the alley where she'd hidden her ride.

It was a gift from her future sister in-law. Well she would be if Ollie ever got his act together. If she didn't love them both their sickeningly adorable antics would make her want to puke. But back to why she thought the woman was perfect for her brother or heck, just perfect in general, was because of her first off the line electric motorcycles made by QUWWA Motors, a subsidiary of Palmer Tech. The design was the ultimate stealth machine (not that it had been designed with that marketing in mind, it was for the Green, Eco conscious market) and boy could it fly. The engine hummed quietly but with undeniable power at your fingertips and she'd be a bold faced liar if she said riding it didn't turn her on something wicked.

Anytime she came back from riding her baby, Roy was guaranteed to get lucky. It didn't hurt their sex life that he seemed to be similarity afflicted. She wondered if that was another reason Felicity had gifted them their rides. She was always upbeat. The picture of a woman very contented with her lot in life. Then again you couldn't always tell what the Mistress of Tech was thinking if she decided to stay tight-lipped.

Her engine was smaller than the boys' but she didn't need the go-guts to keep up with them. She was moving less weight and being able to handle the bike with confidence meant she had been able to master faster weaving and tighter turns that the boys still struggled with. She could beat them at a 180 every time. Roy was still sulking over it, the broody baby.

She just held her comm. to talk to Felicity when a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Hello, Thea."

Why was it that his voice could strip her of every thought and leave her frozen, waiting for him to talk. She should be rallying, running or yelling at him. Something. His manipulations nearly stole away all that she had left of her loving family.

_"Thea, run."_ Felicity's voice was calm but stern and her tone brokered no argument.

Thea wanted to comply. She would hate to disappoint Mama Bear but she couldn't get her feet to comply.

"You're ready, Thea. You're ready to take your place as my second and join our League."

Wide-eyed and her heart pounding she slid onto her bike, kicked up her stand and started the engine.

Malcolm came closer. "I'll always find you. You're my daughter, you belong with us."

"I will never stand with you. You wanted to kill my brother. You succeeded in killing Tommy. Stay away from me," she said hating how her voice shook.

Malcolm shook his head, his face still unconcerned with her distress and her apparent denial of him. "They'll never accept you. They'll always wonder what I might have done. They'll always wonder if you'll turn on them like you did Sara."

Thea felt her heart stop. What did he mean? She suddenly felt dizzy.

"I told you I was proud of you. I am proud, Thea. You aren't conflicted, you know our mission. You will kill anyone in your way. You are my daughter."

Thea clapped her hands over her ears, holding the sides of her head as the throbbing grew worse. "I'm not your daughter. I'll never be yours."

_"Thea!"_ Felicity was growing panicked now. How long had she been calling out?

"I'm on my way but don't tell him about this please."

Malcolm sighed. "You forced my hand. It shouldn't have to be like this," he said with regret. "Al Sa-Her."

Thea's grip on her handle bars relaxed and her foot came away from her kick stand. Her posture relaxed as her eyes trained on Malcolm's face.

"Give my your communications device and any trackers you have."

Thea took out her ear piece and took off her thick utility belt that had her throwing knives, her tranq darts and plastic restraints and other survival odds and ends. Wordlessly, she gave them to Malcolm.

He put the device in his ear. He could hear Oliver's woman calling out, he ignored her pleas.

"Don't look for us. You lost him once to Ra's I wouldn't recommend trying to face him again."

He then took out the device and crushed it under his boot. Leaving it next to the belt he discarded in the alley. He gestured and Thea shifted back in the seat. He took the driver position and started the engine. Slim arms curled around his midsection and he smiled that he didn't have to instruct her to do so. The programming was working. He hadn't had a chance to test it further since she had left him in Corto Maltese but he seemed to only need to prompt her when he required a specific action. Simple tasks, survival and fighting instinct she could accomplish without his intervention.

He hoped that this kind of compliance was acceptable to his Master. He needed Thea with him.


	3. Catalyst

**19 years ago**

The lab was on fire. Chemical fumes mingled with the thick smoke while the seemingly living flame raced to feed on every last pocket of oxygen left. Industrial sprinklers had activated but couldn't quench the flames licking up the walls and consuming every obstacle in its path.

Dr Benjamin Gruener was frozen. Stories his father told him of their family and friends hiding attics, cellars or hidden annexes, some fleeing, abandoning their homes while soldiers burst in a took men, women and children from their beds, suddenly took shape in his minds eye. Screams of his co-workers yelling and crying in desperation and panic became cries of children being ripped from their parents and pushed into dark vans with rough hands.

Noxious green and pink chemicals exploded and sprayed the floor and bench tops around him. The refrigerated cabinet flickered out as the power supply failed, the glass cracked and blindly staring he took no notice of the vapours leaking out.

He remembered his father telling him of how they passed the synagogues on their harrowing flight from the city and they were burning, the beautiful white buildings stained red and black with flames and smoke.

His grandparents and his father had escaped Frankfurt, Germany in 1938, making their way to Lisbon, through France and Spain to eventually find safe refuge in the Americas.

His grandfather served as a medical officer in the Allied troops and his grandmother as a nurse. His father followed in their footsteps and studied to become a othopedic surgeon.

Ben had kept he family trend and entered the medical field of bioscience. Both his grandparents had survived the war and were grateful to their adopted country for allowing them asylum and giving them the opportunity to worship their God without fear of death or persecution and also a chance to live good life. After the war, his father and grandfather took a positions at a VA hospital while his mother, a Jewish baker's daughter, raised him and his sister.

Gotham City wasn't a gleaming gem of hope or sanctuary, but it was home for many migrant families and they all did their best to help their fellow countrymen. Ben and his sister, Davina, hadn't had a lot growing up but their parents saved all they could so both could have a college education. His parents couldn't be more proud the day he'd received his Bachelor in Medicine with honours.

When he achieved his Doctorate in Biomedicine his father was diagnosed with late stage colon cancer. The whole family was shocked. They hadn't even noticed he was sick. Even his mother said he was a little more tired, and a bit pale but he still got up faithfully every morning and went to work. He was gone in less than a month.

His mother had passed a year later. She just wasted away, he firmly believed it was from a broken heart. It had been devastating to watch. Neither he or Divina had been able to draw her out of her shock and depression of their father's passing.

Disillusioned with his faith, and still trying and failing in coping to deal with his own grief, that's how he found himself in bed with spirited wild child, Donna Smoak. And nine months later, married with a beautiful baby girl.

The only consolation for his conscience in honour of his parents memory, was that Donna came from a Jewish family and while she was disinterested in her family's legacy and faith, her parents were only to happy to support him in sharing their roots and their God with his daughter.

He worked hard to provide for his overnight family, while Donna continued to pursue her dreams of being a singer, regularly splitting her nights between classes and auditioning for any club and hotel that would give her a chance. Occasionally she would get hired but it was never a long term thing.

As the acid smoke started to burn his eyes and the heat prickled his skin, all he could feel was a real terror that his family was in danger. The soldiers were coming and they weren't safe. He had to find them. He would protect them. His parents were gone. He was head of his house. Everyone was looking to him. He would protect, Davina, Felicity and Donna.

Alarms blared and Biohazard containment doors came down. Someone was screaming, yelling his name, but the voice didn't matter. It wasn't someone he needed to save.

His vision grew hazing and he only just caught himself from face planting in spot covered in broken flasks and mingling liquids. Glass crunched beneath his feet as he used the table and the wall to make his way to a storage closet. He needed to hide, wait them out.

As he closed the doors and huddled in the corner he thought of his golden haired angel waiting for him. He would find a way to protect her. She was his life. His everything.

::: ::: :::

"He's been treated for third degree burns, severe smoke inhalation and he has yet to regain consciousness. Mr. Wayne is paying for the very best care for all the Wayne Pharmecuticals employees what were injured in the accident, all your husband's expenses are covered Mrs. Gruener."

"It's Smoak. I've kept my name."

"My apologies for the misunderstanding. We will take very good care of your husband. We won't know the full extent of his injuries until he wakes but we are confident that he will, there's sufficient brain activity to indicate that he should wake up."

Donna studied the man swathed in bandages, only his closed eyelids barely visible. They said it was his only his glasses that had protected his eyes from chemical burns. Second and third degree burns covered 60% of his body. Even with grafts he would bear scars for life. How was she going to tell her bright, innocent little cuddle bear that the Daddy she loved now looked like this? How could a five-year-old understand?

::: ::: :::

He knew Donna was trying to be supportive but she didn't understand his concerns. He wanted Felicity close. The private school they'd chosen was too far away from where Donna currently worked and much too far from his lab.

"Why can't you home school her until her senior years? It's what my mother did. You could still sing. You could just take a night job when I'm home."

Donna glared at him. "Ben, it took almost a year to get this opportunity."

Ben gripped his hair in frustration pulling at the roots. "If you made enough to support us, I would take over her education."

Planting her hands on her hips and stamping her foot, Donna seethed under her breath, "And be even more of a social pariah than she already is."

"What did you say?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her. He thought he heard her well enough but he wanted her to say it again. Dared her too. His Felicity was brilliant. She had a sharp, keen mind for learning while her peers struggled to think independently once their electronic games or TV privileges were revoked.

"She's an outcast. She has no friends her own age," Donna cried.

"And why should she when they're all mindless drones, slaves to those idiot inducing mediums," he fired back. "Stop trying to make her mundane and average when she's nothing of the sort. Our girl is special, Donna."

Donna started crying at that.

"Oh what did I say now?" Ben spluttered in frustration. He hated when he caused her tears. Donna was a strong woman and it seemed that only he was capable of reducing her to this. He didn't know what to do. They were so ill matched, it really was lust and need that had thrown them together. She was an excellent mother, when she was around to be but she struggled, they both did, to be good for each other.

He crossed the room and took her in his arms. She was stiff at first but she relaxed and returned his embrace, still sniffling against his chest. "You called her our child, I don't think you've ever called her that," she said looking up with watery eyes.

Ben swallowed hard. Had he never acknowledged what a blessing she was? How thankful he was that Donna had given him such a child? "Of course she is ours. Our precious gift. Our angel. Donna, I'm sorry if I never said it before. She is the most wonderful thing we've ever started together."

Donna snorted back a laugh. Some of her girlfriends called her a fool for staying with such a geek workaholic, who barely remembered birthdays and anniversaries and whose idea of fun was tinkering with beakers in his workshop but it was moments like this that she lived for, where he was the soft hearted, gentle, handsome man, with a wicked wit she had fallen in love with.

She was so relieved when he had woken from the coma with seemingly no lingering trauma from the accident.

Her relief was short-lived. Later she would reflect and realize that it was that moment that things had started to change.

::: ::: :::

Donna woke feeling disorientated and sticky. Oh fabulous, the air conditioning was out again. She glanced around the darkened room. She felt odd, she rarely felt so relaxed as thought she'd slept too much. Usually she was still blinking sleep from her eyes while trying to find her gown so she could get Felicity ready for school. Coming back really late from work, usually Ben would start breakfast and she would take over when he left for work.

She assumed that she hadn't overslept too much as it seemed dark. She got a rude shock when she drew back the curtains to find bright mid-morning sun.

"Ben!" she cried snatching her watch from the dresser. It read, ten forty five. Where was Felicity?

The whole house was dark and she found that her alarm clock was the reason she was late. The power was out.

She raced through the townhouse looking for the circuit breaker and found that the main fuse was missing. Her heart was pounding harder the longer Felicity was missing. Her daughter was always chattering. From the moment her eyes opened she was talking. It wasn't like her to be this quiet. And Ben would never have left their baby girl alone without waking her first.

"Ben, Felicity!"

A hand clamped over her face in the darkness and muffled her terrified scream. It was only a tug on her hand that broke her from her panic.

She looked down into the wide-eyed innocence of her daughter's grey blue eyes, so like her father's.

"It's okay, Mama, we're hiding from the bad men. Daddy says if were quiet, they won't find us."

Donna founded it almost impossible to leave for work that afternoon. Ben finally snapping out of whatever living nightmare he'd invented to let her cook before she left.

::: ::: :::

Donna rolled over in the night to find the space her husband usually slept in, cold and vacant. She startled awake and threw off the covers.

She raced to Felicity's room and found her sleeping peacefully. It wasn't till she went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of warm milk that she noticed the lounge looked suspiciously bare. The TV was missing, and so was the stereo unit. She thought they'd been robbed in their sleep until she caught Ben coming up from the basement, sweaty and dirty.

"What have you done?" she asked slightly incredulous and half exasperated. He'd become increasingly erratic and agitated recently. She had called his treating physician after his first episode and the doctor said to monitor the situation and to try and get Ben to talk about what he was thinking and feeling. To make an appointment if things got worse or if he was a danger to himself or the family. So far he'd just startled and annoyed her.

"They are contraband. If they find any transmitting or receiving device in our home they'll have us arrested. Do you want Felicity left to fend for herself? Our neighbours kids were left without a mother for ten days when they took her for questioning when they found a radio in her possession. It wasn't even working. They accused her of helping foreign soldiers. They were ten and eight. Our girl is not even six, someone could take her, or she could starve. Think would you? For once in your life think of someone other than yourself," he snarled.

Donna didn't know which part of crazy to address first. He was breaking from reality. Somewhere in his mind all the war stories had become mixed up to form a living nightmare he believed was his life.

"Ben, your grandparents survived the war. They came to America. You live in America. The war has been over for decades," she said desperately as she fought back tears.

His accusation that she was selfish cut deep. She knew he wasn't happy that she wasn't a stay at home mother like his mother had been after he was born but she thought he understood what it was like to want to pursue your dreams. She had supported him all the awhile he had made pittance while trying to get grants for his research into a cell regeneration. The end goal was a cure for all degenerative disease but he was starting with the brain, Alzheimer's and Dementia.

He looked taken back and confused for a moment before he shook his head. "You don't understand. You've denied your faith already. A long time ago, it means nothing to you. It won't matter, they'll target you because of who we are." He brushed by her to Felicity's room and Donna rushed to bar him.

"Let her sleep, you'll only scare her like this."

"We need to keep her with us."

She put both hands on his chest. "I'm not letting you touch her. Not when you're talking crazy ."

"Get out of the way, Donna."

The look he gave her chilled her to the bone. She'd never seen him look so hard and determined. She moved out of the way, praying that their phone line still worked.

She ran back to him with the phone on speaker.

_"Donna, Ben, what's going on? Are you alright? It's 2 in the morning?"_

Davina's voice seemed to send him into a trance and when he blinked out of it, he seemed more like himself again.

Donna slept in her daughter's room that night.

::: ::: :::

_"Mrs. Smoak?"_

The teacher at Felicity's school could never get the title right so she just stopped correcting her. "This is Donna. Is everything okay?"

_"Well, I'm sure it's fine. I just wanted to check with you that you wanted Felicity to try out for the part of Becca in the play. You seemed so keen for her to audition. I can arrange another time since she had a family emergency."_

Donna's heart seized. "Family emergency?" she asked, her voice failing her.

"Yes, her father seemed in a great rush to collect her..."

Donna hung up to phone and grabbed her keys. In a mad dash she went for the door before she realized she should try to stall him. After all, he had a head start.

She dialled his sister. She answered after the first ring.

"If he comes there please stall him. He's finally lost it."

::: ::: :::

Donna had Davina take Felicity in the other room when the doctors and police came. Ben turned wild and cursed her, cursed his sister, before breaking down and begging, pleading to be allowed to see his baby one last time.

To look at him you would believe he was being sent to his death.

Donna thanked small mercies that Davina had thought to give Felicity her laptop and earphones in her study.

::: ::: :::

When he didn't respond to any of the treatments for his paranoid delusions, Donna boxed up all his things. When he'd first been admitted she'd explained to Felicity that her father had gone away for work. That story lasted a month. When no postcards or phone calls came, and her smart little girl started with her questions Donna didn't know what to do, so she just cried.

When news that he had escaped reached her ears, Donna panicked. They had started living with Divina when Ben was institutionalised. Donna couldn't afford the rent on her own and the payments from Wayne Enterprises were enough to pay for Ben's care but not for much else. What little extra come their way, Donna was putting aside for Felicity's education.

Terrified Ben would take her daughter and hurt her in his crazed mental state, Donna packed what she could in a single suitcase and a small backpack for Felicity and left Gotham City.

She didn't tell anyone where she was going and for awhile she had to use some of the savings she had set aside while she found her feet again. She got a job as a waitress and another job singing at a club after hours. They'd found a place to stay with an elderly deaf lady, and she was happy to look after an energetic curious six-year-old with a brain that was the biggest sponge you could ever imagine.

Ben never found them.

And most of the time Donna could forget those months where her husband had become a terrifying stranger. And it took a long time, but eventually she was able to look into her daughter's pretty eyes and not cry.


	4. Fight

Felicity saw that Thea's trackers had separated and she knew better than to believe the belt in the alley was where Thea was.

Thea's boot signal was leaving Starling, headed for the airfield. She still had time to mount a rescue. She knew their ultimate destination and once they got there, Merlyn would be untouchable because if somehow Ra's had forgiven him, they wouldn't be able to get to Thea then. The League rallied behind their own.

After a second of indecision, she contacted the boys. "Merlyn took Speedy."

"Ranger will finish up here. Arsenal and I will go after Merlyn. Location?" Oliver said his tone all business.

"Uploading to you now. She's under his control. Please be careful."

They left Dig to wait for the police to arrive. They'd subdued the boss and all his body guards lay around nursing various injuries, most of them self inflicted from attempting to attack and having their targets counter their moves. Two thugs had hit each other in a crossfire.

Roy was trying not to grin the whole time they were fighting. Not to say Diggle couldn't handle himself but there was something mesmerising about watching Oliver in action. He was like a hybrid of Panther and Snake in attack mode. He could be stealthy and slow, but take you down like a wall of muscle or he could strike fast and barely touch you but for the point of an arrow and his target would be out for the count.

His mentor was back and Roy was loving it. Until the bubble burst and it was Thea's life on the line again which meant protecting Oliver from himself. He wasn't happy about this turn of events, if he wasn't afraid of the man he would have hunted down Merlyn himself. Put the manipulating bastard need to pay for all he'd done to Thea, Oliver and the city.

Oliver hated the worry in Felicity's voice but knew it was warranted. They still didn't know how Merlyn was controlling his sister. She didn't remember killing Sara and they hadn't brought up Meryln's manipulations. After what was happening now, it was a mistake on their part not telling Thea the truth.

"We'll get her back and bring her home. Worry about the debrief later," Roy said, obviously reading his expression. "We've all tried prompting her, hoping to trigger something. It's blocked, Oliver. Whatever he did, it's strong enough that she'll do anything, even kill a friend. How are we going to go at this?"

"Let me deal with Thea. You take Merlyn down. Go after him like you're trying to take both Dig and I together. Whatever you do, don't give him enough space to draw on you," Oliver cautioned him. "And go for head attacks, he doesn't shield well from the neck up." It was probably due to old injuries, from tendon trauma and scarring in his upper chest.

::: ::: :::

They could see a plane waiting outside a hanger. Thea was already at the door and Merlyn saw them as he pulled up the door.

Oliver turned full throttle and kicked down the boom gate, nearly losing control of the bike in the process, he righted and didn't let up on the speed. He could see Merlyn holding a gun on the pilot and knew the man wouldn't stop taxing. He nocked a grenade arrow and took out the right landing gear, the plane dropped and veered a sharp left into a nearby field.

They circled the back of the plane and waited out Merlyn. They weren't going anywhere, so they had to leave sometime and Oliver wasn't taking chances that Merlyn just wouldn't shoot them.

He was surprised when a smaller body tackled him from behind. He didn't have time to see what Roy was doing as Thea had his neck in a choke hold and he wondered how he could get her off while hurting her the least.

"Don't hold back," Roy growled from where he was fighting Merlyn. Arsenal was using his bow to fight off Merlyn's attack with a katana.

Oliver flipped his sister over his shoulder, wincing when she hit the ground with a thud. She barely flinched, just rolled to her feet and got into a fighting stance. Already accessorising her fists. He ground his teeth at he sight of the elaborate metal knuckle dusters. They would do serious damage if he let her get a punch in. He was glad he was still wearing the special armguard that Felicity had designed. After breaking his arm in his fall over the cliff, he knew that it wouldn't be able to take the physical punishment he took on a regular basis as Arrow. Having his forearm protected from the thwack of the bowstring but also against hits he blocked with the steel reinforcement was a reassuring thought as he faced Thea's determined attack stance.

"Thea, it's me," he said dropping his hood. "It's Ollie. You can break through this. You don't have to fight me. If you really want to leave, I won't stop you but first you're going to talk to me. This isn't you."

She didn't stop, she kept circling waiting for an opening. Oliver tried not to let her flank him. She shook her head in an agitated manner the longer she looked at his face. She dropped her head and charged.

Oliver blocked the flurry of punches and kicks she threw at him. He saw the knife she took from her boot and raised his arm in time to deflect her jab at his chest. He spun her and pushed her up against the side of the plane. He ripped the knife from her grip and threw it out of her reach.

Thea faught like a wildcat to free herself. She threw her head back and in her thrashing, she connected with his nose, breaking it. Blood sprayed down his face and his vision blurred for a moment. He didn't let go but it had rattled his concentration enough that she'd managed to get another weapon.

"Oliver!" Roy called out.

Thea sagged in his arms and the dagger she'd pulled from inside her vest sunk into the dirt as it fell from her limp grasp.

Oliver turned and looked angrily at Roy. Roy face was apprehensive but he challenged Oliver to say he had things under control by shooting a pointed look at the dagger Thea had just dropped and also staring at the blood stains Oliver was sporting.

"You let him get away," Oliver glowered

Roy looked around them but knew Merlyn was gone. "I put an tranq arrow in his shoulder and he's face will be black and blue. Besides we took out his private jet, he's not going anywhere in a hurry."

"Merlyn probably has half a dozen. He'll find a way to leave the city, but you're right, he'll be back for Thea. We need to get to the safe-house."

"Safe from him or safe from her?" Roy came closure and pulled out the spent tranq arrow from Thea's thigh. That was going to leave a mark. He winced. "I made a call. She wasn't backing down. She was going to kill you."

Oliver bristled but didn't argue. He scooped Thea up. He spoke to Felicity over his open comm, he could tell she had been hovering with bated breath when she responded immediately to his voice, "Home base?"

"I'm here, what do you need?"

"Have Canary bring the van. We need to get Speedy secured."

"Done. I'll be waiting."

Oliver let out frustrated growl. It was useless to argue that he wanted her safe until they figured out how to deactivate Thea's brainwashing but he knew Felicity wouldn't agree. He wished she wasn't so stubborn. Then he smiled grimly. They were both stubborn. It was the only reason their partnership worked so well. When he was being obstinately belligerent, she would point out his wrongs, call him on his crap but stubbornly stand by him anyway. He was totally mad for her. And he was done fighting it. She swore that she didn't feel cheated that Arrow work would come first. And if he didn't say it aloud, he could convince himself that he wasn't distracted by his love for her. Because she was right, if wouldn't matter whether they were together or not, if she was officially or unofficially on the team. Her choices put her in danger. She was already on their enemies radar. Malcolm Merlyn knew her, Slade knew her, Helena knew her, by now the entire League knew of her through Nyssa. Pushing her away wouldn't make her safer.

He brought her into his world the moment he asked Walter for a recommendation and sealed her fate when he broke into her car. Because he had known from the moment she brought him the journal that she was the type of person that fought for her friends. Because she didn't make friends easily and she was fiercely loyal to the ones she had. She could be a little bossy and she was opinionated. She never had any trouble speaking her mind. Something he loved about her. It was refreshing from being surrounded by spies, mob thugs and assassins, where you were constantly on guard and trying to read everyone's motivations, so you could plot your strategy for survival.

It was a dog eat dog world and that was his life for the past seven and a half years. He hated that she was a part of the madness but he was also glad that she was in his life. It wouldn't be a life without her. He'd be surviving. It would be not dying, just existing, not living. Loving her, having her love and unconditional support, her faith in him, it was unquantifiable and he revealed in the power it gave him. The strength and fearlessness to face anything because she made him believe in the impossible. That someday they could have it all. The home, the family, and someday, maybe someone strong enough would carry on the mantle. And take over the protection of the city they were dedicating their lives to protect. He thought of himself as a realist. He knew that there would always be darkness. But he lived in hope that it wouldn't always be chaos and the threat of death around every corner. Danger was constant. It was part of the job. Death was always a possibility but being part of a team gave them best odds they could hope for. They had each other's backs. They trained hard and they used every resource available to get the job done as safely and quickly as possible, their Eyes in the sky always watching out for them. As the black van pulled to a sharp stop, he carried Thea over.

He was honestly counting down the minutes till he would see her in the flesh rather than just listening to her in his ear. He tried his best to focus on Thea and school his face because Roy was giving him an odd look which meant he probably had that whipped smile, as Dig liked to call it, on his face. Last thing he needed was to see Laurel roll her eyes again.

::: ::: :::

Felicity had a red medical bag open and a basic kit opened for sutures and wound dressings.

He watched her keen eyes give each of them a once over, assessing priority of care. She dosed a clean cloth with water and pressed it into his hands, to clean up his face before directing Roy where to put Thea.

"Set her down here." She cleared off a table.

As he cleaned his face, Oliver noticed that each metal leg had some black cords tied around them. He blanched and ground his jaw. He hated that they would most likely be necessary. After Laurel had secured Thea, Roy administered the counter drug.

After a few seconds, Thea started to stir and she immediately started thrashing when she realized she was tied down.

"Let me go," she growled.

Oliver stepped closer and let her see him. "Do you know why you're here?"

She looked at him angrily, there was no sign of familial recognition in her eyes. "Let me go," she barked more adamantly, yanking on her wrists and kicking out with her boots, she did nothing but rattle the table.

Roy gave a look of concern at the table, wondering it was going to hold up under Thea's struggles. The screeching and groaning coming from the legs wasn't very encouraging.

Felicity came closer and played back what she had recorded from the alley. As Malcolm's voice reached her ears, Thea seemed to calm somewhat, till she realized he wasn't actually in the room.

"Let me go," she screamed. She rocked and trashed until one of the table legs gave way. It happened so fast that she was able to roll free using the loose leg as a weapon, she caught Laurel across the head, knocking her out.

Thea kicked the table in Felicity's direction and Oliver managed to sweep her out of the way and put them behind some scaffolding out of her line of attack.

Roy was her next target but he was ready for her. He pinned her down and drugged her again. She was hissing and trying to head butt him the whole time.

Oliver came over to lift her up off the ground and put her down on a camping mat inside a holding cage. He hated to do it but it didn't look like they had a choice. She wanted to be free of them and she had not hesitated to attack them to achieve her aim.

Felicity was on the floor beside Laurel attending to the nasty cut at her hair line. Thea had broken the skin with her hit, any harder and Thea could have killed her. This wasn't a game. They needed to break Merlyn's conditioning and they needed to do it fast.

The fastest way to do it was going to be ugly and he wasn't sure he'd be able to go through with it. It was times like this he was almost grateful to Waller for her ruthless methods in agent training. And it was moments like this that he started to believe the shrink that said he needed therapy. Because right now the only way he could function was to compartmentalise and switch off and become Waller's gweilo and he was pretty sure normal, healthy people didn't do that.

When he looked at his sister curled on the floor, he closed himself off knowing he didn't have a choice.

They watched him in silence as he gathered a mobile defibrillator, a metal bucket, some towels and a chair.

It didn't take a genius to figure out his plan. Felicity grabbed his arm, and looked at him with wide eyes. "Oliver, you can't do this. We will find another way, she'll be safe here for now."

"Until she breaks free or Merlyn comes back for her," he said his voice flat and his eyes cold.

She pulled her hand away when she saw the hard look in his eyes. Her mouth fell open and she saw for the first time a man she hadn't seen before. The man he told her about, Waller's butcher, the cold operative that actually started to enjoy being given the next mission. The part of himself he was now trying so hard to escape.

"She might understand when this is all over," Felicity said quietly, "but she'll never look at you the same way. She'll always remember this and she'll be afraid. You won't be her protector anymore," Felicity finished in almost a whisper. Her arms wrapped tightly around herself, suddenly feeling so cold. She looked at him desperately and she saw the moment his control broke. His eyes shuttered and then the mask fell. He dropped the ropes he'd collected and walked swiftly out of the work area.

Felicity moved to chase after him but Roy stopped her. "Give him a minute."

Laurel took the rope from the ground. "I'll do it. She doesn't like me much anyway."

Felicity shot her a disbelieving look but Roy didn't say anything.

"She may be all business and efficiency but she's not exactly subtle in her opinion of me."

Roy wasn't about to disagree. "You're sure?"

Laurel's lips twisted up at the corners and she looked at him in a condescending manner. "Are you volunteering?" At Roy's tortured expression, she nodded her head. "Didn't think so."

::: ::: :::

Felicity found Oliver sitting in the fire escape with his hood down and his mask off. She touched his arm and was relieved when he didn't pull away.

"I was about to do it. I didn't see her anymore, I saw Merlyn's weapon and I needed to make sure he couldn't use her again. I wouldn't have stopped until it was done."

Felicity couldn't help the shiver that ran through her at his words.

Oliver looked down into her eyes, her bright expressive eyes that held a hint of fear. He didn't want to taint her. It killed him inside that she could ever be afraid of him but you would have to be hopelessly blind and naive not to be. Felicity wasn't stupid, she was just foolishly brave and in love with a broken man.

"This darkness, it's always there. I don't know where the line is anymore, Felicity. I haven't for a long time. The longer you stay with me, the deeper I'll drag you down. There was a time where you wouldn't stand for me killing or torturing anyone."

Felicity squeezing his arm so hard that she could feel her nails straining under the resistance of the toughened leather. "You know what I see?" she asked him, waiting till he met her gaze before continuing. "That the longer I'm with you, the more I see that the world isn't black and white. That good doesn't prevail just because we want it to. In the Bible when men wiped out entire civilizations in the name of God, they were hailed as heroes. It was a Holy crusade. I understand that sometimes good men have to do terrible things to protect the innocent. Thea is innocent and what Merlyn has done to her is what we are fighting against. Laurel's determined to do this but you're the only one who can actually do it without killing Thea."

Oliver hung his head and ran his fingers through his hair pulling at it briefly. "Where is the line, Felicity?"

"Have you done this before?" She refused to believe he would have considered going down this path if he didn't think he could do it without seriously injuring Thea. "And what alternative is there?"

Oliver took in a breath and let to out very slowly. "I can try hypnosis, but she has to be a willing subject. She has to relax and she won't in the state she's in right now. The other way would be try and figure out the off word or phrase."

Felicity brightened. "He said his League name in the recording. What does it mean? It could be her trigger. Maybe its opposite or something related could be the stop command."

Screams broke the quiet and they both launched to their feet.

::: ::: :::

While Felicity had gone to find Oliver. Roy was having doubts about this method they were attempting. Sure he'd seen lots of movies that featured electro-shock therapy but none of them had looked remotely ethical and he'd never read or heard of any instances where the treatment was actually helpful. He trusted Oliver's judgement but certainly not Laurel's.

"We should wait till they come back. She's out for now. Or not," he said in confusion as he saw Laurel administer the antidote.

Laurel gave him a cold look. "Did you know?" asked him.

Roy's brows furrowed deeper. "Know what?"

"Merlyn said we wouldn't trust her because of Sara. What does Thea have to do with Sara, Roy?"

Understanding dawned but he didn't get a chance to react. She swiped him good with right hook across the face, knocking him out cold.

When they burst back into the room, Thea was twitching wildly, her jaw clamped shut. The water in the bucket sloshing all over the floor but stopping where the towels formed a circle around the bottom of the chair.

"Stop," Oliver roared.

Laurel cut the charge and Roy was stirring on the floor and suddenly launched to his feet. He was about to go to Thea when Oliver yanked him to a stand still.

"The current is still in her," Oliver growled.

Felicity grabbed her thick woolen coat and wrapped it around Thea's shoulders. She tipped the chair back lifting Thea's feet free from the water. She dragged it clear and began cutting her free. With a soft clean cloth she mopped Thea's face.

Brown eyes blinked blearily at her and widened when she noticed a figure over Felicity's shoulder.

Thea whimpered. "Sara, I'm sorry. Please forgive me, I'm so sorry." Her face was pale, and her trembling lips were split and bleeding. Felicity held Thea's shoulders and kept the young woman's feet elevated over the chair. Oliver was there to help her pull Thea up. She collapsed against them both.

Still staring at Laurel wearing her sister's wig and mask, she continued to sob into their arms. No one said a word and after a while the crying stopped. She had fallen asleep. Oliver lifted her easily and set her on the camping mat on the floor. They had taken all her weapons, but until he spoke with her he wasn't sure the threat had passed. He planned to stay with her in the cell until she woke up.

"Is it over?" Roy asked, his voice suspiciously raw.

Oliver looked over at him. "Not even close. We broke through but until we can help Thea remember everything, he could still use her again."

Laurel gave them a piercing glare. "Someone want to tell me why she was apologising to Sara?"

The team shared a look and Roy was the one to take Laurel by the arm. "We're taking a ride."


	5. Waller

"John, I need you at the compound as soon as you can get here."

Lyla sounded rattled. The last time she had sounded like that, they'd found out who Dodger's real target was.

If this was connected to Dodger, John didn't even want to speculate. He had just left the scene after he was sure he could see squad cars when Lyla had called him.

He redirected the SUVs GPS for A.R.G.U.S command bunker in D.C. And then he called the sitter. It was a good thing Waller provided family services or they'd probably just be paying the sitter his wage with how often they asked her to work.

When a Thea had asked Roy to beef up the security on Verdant after she came back, Roy saw it as a good opportunity to give John a day/night job and and a legitimate excuse to hang around the Foundry. Thinking on it now, John wondered if that wasn't Thea's goal all along so she could keep all Arrow's associates close. The pay wasn't anything to write home about, it was a regular security position after all, but it helped pay the bills and gave him something constructive to do besides looking into the latest big bad.

The trip calculator read 57 mins to destination. He hit cruise on the wheel and settled in for the ride along the speedway.

::: ::: :::

John knew as soon as he neared the gates that something was wrong. The area was lit up like the Fourth of July and operatives were everywhere. After offering his Driver's licence, he was waved through the gate.

He found Lyla fairly quickly, she was speaking with a tall, broad shouldered man who was too good looking to be standing that close to his wife.

They'd remarried in a small civil ceremony a week ago with only their closest friends and family in attendance. They hadn't gotten around to a honeymoon yet but as soon as Lyla could get away, they planned to take a small family vacation to the Bahamas. In all her travels, Lyla had never been on a beach, so they were planing to do a first together.

"John, this is Maxwell Lord. He's been appointed by the Secretary of Defence to investigate the discovery of individuals we've coined as metahuman. We have always been aware that there are people with unique characteristics some would call superhuman but in recent months there seems to have been a raise in criminal activity that could only be attributed to people of that calibre. And before you mention it, we aren't categorising the red blur from Central City in that group. What was it they're calling him... The Flash?"

"In fact we would like to recruit him," Lord said extending his hand to John.

John shook it and eyed the man carefully. "He seems more the solo, under the radar kind of guy."

"I doubt that," Lord said knowingly. "General Eiling hinted that he works with S.T.A.R Labs but were only monitoring the situation. So far he's proven to be on the right side of the law."

"You were talking recruitment. I don't think anyone would volunteer to get a bomb attached to their brainstem."

Lord narrowed his eyes at John. "How is it you know so much about our operation but I've never seen you before?"

Lyla stepped in before John could get another word in. "Waller cleared him, Level Alpha."

"How quaint a husband-wife team. Read him in, if you think he can help us  
locate Amanda. I'll leave it up to you. I want daily updates. I'm expected in Metropolis. General Lane wants a meeting. They think they've found the plutonium of all metas, and are in a panic on how to bring him in."

He walked away shaking his head like this was all just a regular day for him. John didn't want to know what he dealt with on a regular basis. The name sounded familiar though and it was going to bug him. He raised an eyebrow at his wife.

Lyla read his question correctly. "Big time entrepreneur. Billionaire with more brains than any one person should have. Got the attention of the UN with an international peacekeeping force, made up of all the nations represented and trained them. Since he was bankrolling, they sanctioned it. After the Central City hero made the news, the U.S. asked Lord to come home, and now he's here. You'll find out why soon enough."

John followed her lead and he noticed as soon as they got to the holding level what all the commotion was about. Every cell door was open and he knew without a head count that all the inmates were missing save one.

He smelled it before he saw it. Written with large brush strokes in bold drying letters,

_She's on the Wall_

John cringed at the grisly calling card. They had Waller and they were being particularly brazen about it.

"Have they run a DNA analysis?"

"It's Amanda's and the amount suggests that she's lost a lot of blood. Unless they're transfusing her, we're going forward on the possibility were looking for a body."

"She better not be," Deadshot muttered darkly.

John gave Deadshot cold look. "They let you out and you're still here?"

"Waller's the only one who knows where my daughter is," he said sharply.

Lyla nodded. "After he helped us with Waller, I got his implant removed. I didn't want to risk Waller taking out her anger on him for my insubordination. Seems she found another way to keep him in line."

"Oliver said she always gets what she wants," he said apropos. "Any leads to go on?"

Lyla gave a nod to Deadshot. "He says they were let out by Slade Wilson. But that's not possible. He would have never made it into the compound, past all our security.

"What if whoever he's working with already had her? They could have coerced her into cooperating?"

Lyla shook her head. "She's nicknamed The Wall for a reason. Nothing gets by her without her consent. They would have to kill her, she'd never cooperate and jeopardise this operation or betray her country."

"Could they use her access cards?"

"They would have needed her to get through the main gate and also the palm scan for the elevators. Her bodyguard didn't turn up for work and she hired a replacement only at Secretary General's insistence. We haven't been able to find their of them. Both apartments apartment are empty. When we questioned her about James, he first driver, Amanda thought it was a waste of resources to look into it. She said he was just a glorified driver anyway."

"Has she ever been dismissive about protocol or security?" John asked skeptically.

Lyla frowned. "You think she was acting our of character?"

"I think there a lot of mind controlling drugs that I never knew about before. Anythings possible. Have they checked her home?"

Lyla shook her head. "No one knows where she lives. It's not on the books... Going back to your theory about being out of character, she's notoriously tight lipped about her personal life. We should have been more suspicious. She'd never missed the weekly briefing and no one has seen much of her the last few days. We just assumed the breakout and abduction was an inside job and directly linked to the escape."

"Shows how much they listen," Deadshot growled. "She was never down here. The compound went dark, they lost the cameras and we were told to leave. They handed out signal blockers and everyone scrambled. Slade asked why I wasn't running, I told him I needed to interrogate Waller first. He laughed and told me good luck with that. Then he left."

Diggle ground his jaw and shared a look with Lyla. He had a call to make that he really didn't want to make.

::: ::: :::

Her phone almost slipped from her nerveless grip and Felicity felt her legs fold under her. She was grateful that Roy managed to catch her arm before she ended up in an ungraceful heap on the floor.

"I'm good," she said distractedly, waving off his attentions when she managed to right herself.

"You don't look it," he murmured in concern. He shadowed her not trusting that she was okay, although she looked more determined than shaken now, unlike she had been a second ago.

Felicity accessed the laptop on the table and linked up her Wi-Fi. She accessed her Foundry system in less than a minute and checked the micro cam Oliver had planted when he had visited Lian Yu to imprison Slade.

Sure enough, the cell that was supposed to be housing Slade was empty. And the other cell's occupant seemed quite disgruntled about it. With shaky and frantic movements she scrolled back the feed until she found what she was searching for.

"That manipulative, crazy bitch! Oliver, I thought she swore to you that she wouldn't make Slade a part of her little death squad. That she understood he couldn't be controlled?"

Oliver jerked awake at Felicity's loud voice. "What's the matter? What did Waller do?"

"She let Slade Wilson out of prison. John said there's been a mass exodus of the A.R.G.U.S, Task Force X division. They think Waller might be dead."

Oliver eased away from Thea whole had been curled against his leg and got up. He opened the cell door and walked over to review the recording. "If she thought she could manipulate him, she probably is. Slade doesn't answer to anyone but himself. Men a lot more ruthless and resourceful than Amanda learned that the hard way," he said thinking of Starling's former Bratva Brigadier. "Where is Dig now?"

Felicity glanced at the still sleeping Thea. "With Lyla in D.C."

Oliver picked up his bow and clipped on his quiver. "Waller keeps a place just outside Starling. I'll take a look around. Tell Diggle to keep in contact and let me know when Thea's awake. Don't let her out unless you're sure she's in control."

Roy shared a look with Felicity while shooting a worried glance at Oliver's retreating back. "How do we do that?"

Felicity sighed and frowned at him. "You know Thea better than I do, Roy. I'm sure that you'll think of something." She shivered and sat down on one of the silver equipment cases. "How screwed up does it make me that I'm more worried about Slade being loose right now than Merlyn storming the building for Thea?"

Roy put a hand on her shoulder. "You're safe with me, Felicity. I won't let anything happen to you or Thea."

They had survived without Oliver before. She knew Roy had grown in his skill a lot since her first started but there was really only one man that made her feel safe and right now he could be walking into a trap made by his longest standing enemy. An enemy that knew just how to hurt Oliver. Felicity had never felt so cold as she did in that moment. She switched screens so that she could follow him via GPS. His blinking red dots showed him leaving the city. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, she got up and set to busing herself to make Thea more comfortable.

"How did the talk with Laurel go?

Roy shrugged. "She hit me already so that's out of her system. I don't imagine she'll be around anytime soon but I think she gets it. She knows it wasn't Thea. If were lucky she'll keep Merlyn busy till we can figure this out."

Felicity gave him an incredulous look. "Merlyn would use her for target practice. She could wipe the floor with me but she's at your level, Roy. And I saw you fight him. It was a near thing." For a second there before Oliver had Thea pinned it looked like Merlyn was about to run Roy through. Roy had gotten his knee up and managed the throw Meryln off, and putting two crossbow shots in him.

Roy's shoulders slumped. "You won't tell him?"

Felicity sighed. "I won't. But Roy the fact that you used his distraction with Thea to get out of trouble isn't a bad thing."

Roy shook his head. "Oliver's been telling me that I get too focused on what's in front of me that I forget my surroundings. I'm trying but I hate disappointing him."

She smiled ruefully. "There's a club. It's not fair how quickly he can pick things up. He makes it all look easy."

Roy snorted. "Because for him it is. At least there's something you'll always have on him." Felicity raised an eyebrow. "No one can work tech better than you."

Felicity beamed at him proudly. "Yep. I do it like a boss."

He rolled his eyes and bumped her shoulder affectionately. "She owns it."


	6. Collision

Warning: Graphic depiction of torture. Please skip the last scene of Oliver searching for Waller, if you find scenes of this nature too distressing to read.

**Hamburg, Germany**

Slade walked into the Head Office of Stellmoor International. He took the elevator to the top floor and knocked before entering the CEO's office. It was hard to believe they had started with a small warehouse outfitted with a backyard type chem lab in Southern China and now they had offices/plants and distributors around the world and they were into everything from drugs, fuel, food products to transportation and computer technology.

"I see you're fairing well despite your incarceration," a gruff voice said. He stood facing the city skyline, they were almost above the clouds at this level. His once dark hair was streaked through with silver but his posture was strong and imposing.

Slade smirked at his business partner's back. They had both been betrayed by people that they had trusted completely. He had used the man's brilliant mind to his advantage after transfusing him with Mirakuru laced blood when he'd lay bleeding out after some punk kid had tried to rob him for change.

Ben turned from the window to survey his business partner of the past eight years. "You went a little overboard with your quest don't you think?" he said mildly. "We lost Rochev. Don't think our people didn't have a coronary trying to keep her involvement in the siege on Starling under wraps. It could have been a publicity nightmare. As my off the books partner, Stellmoor can weather anything you get yourself into. Don't pull any of our employees into this vendetta again."

Slade had provided the Doc funding for his research and it also afford him a way to launder funds gathered from less than reputable means, namely assassinations.

The Doc had let Slade name the company they first founded in Hamburg. Being a lab nerd, the doctor hardly cared about anything that wasn't directly related to progress of his research or the single picture he kept in his pocket.

Slade had thought Oliver might be suspicious of Isabel and the company she represented being that it's name represented hunters and the origin of the first archers. But his nemesis hadn't suspected his involvement until his plans were well on their way to fruition.

If it hadn't been for the Arrow's allies rallying to his aid, Slade's plans to destroy Starling would have succeeded. Those that wouldn't have survived Waller's air strike would have been acceptable losses. They had tested the regenerative ability of the drug, it could repair damaged tissue and cells but couldn't regrow absent organs. The original template or at least part of it needed to be there for the drug to do its work. Hence why they were still working on the patchwork boy downstairs.

After they'd made their first million, from patenting their first accidental miracle diet drug, and established themselves in the pharmaceutical market with Slade doing a little cleaning up of their competition (he only went after those who disregarded patent laws and used child labor), he felt his business partner had earned a little freedom.

Following their initial success, he withdrew himself from everyday operations. But not before he left the Doc with a parting gift. He commissioned a portrait of the photo the man carried and it now hung in his office.

Slade only gave the quarterly financial reports a once over. He had hired the best CFO in their industry and the top Chinese graduate in International Business to help Ben run their company. He hand picked the Chinese graduate because he knew the kid would work himself to death to make a success of himself. He had a family to support back home, both grandparents, his parents and his younger sister, and they came from a small fishing village.

Slade didn't like what Ben was insinuating over his failure in Starling and his brief incarceration. "Our arrangement hasn't changed. I give you the means to play in your lab till your body gives out and you remember you're still human and in return I get my vengeance on the one man who betrayed me that still lives."

Ben nodded. "Oliver Queen. I haven't forgotten. As it stands, he never regained control of his company, he hasn't been seen in the media much since his mother's death and he lost a lot of his assets as a result of yours and Isabel's stratagem. If I'm not mistaken, you also killed his mother in front of him."

Slade bristled. He almost wished it hadn't come down to that. He had admired the woman. She certainly had more conviction and integrity than Blood ever did. What a spineless narrow minded disappointment he'd turned out to be.

"You wanted three things, yes? Take his money, take his city and take his soul, metaphorically of course. Before you kill him, mercifully, since the man would beg for death after having nothing left to life for. You took his company, Isabel did a masterful job there by the way. Stellmoor suffered only a minor hiccup in share prices because of her disappearance during the Siege and the misuse of company assets discovered during the hearing but we've weathered worse over the rise and fall of being a part of a global market. You successfully cut off his Bratava connections, Anatoly won't help him again without Oliver making another visit to Russia, and from what I've been told from your A.R.G.U.S source, Oliver no longer has any allies in The League of Assassins. But I digress, oh yes, so you killed the man's mother and a your intel source says that Sara Lance is actually residing in her resting place now, so I had assumed your last step is awaiting your action. Now that you're free, what's stopping you? You will be able to pursue something else and I for one aim eager to see what you can channel your energies and intelligence into. I've never had a person who can meet my intellect and not have them try to steal my research from under me."

Slade gave him a smirk, that spoke of a long awaited secret about to be shared.

"There's something I discovered while I was in Starling. Isabel never visited your office or I'm sure she would have taken great pleasure in telling you herself." He looked pointedly at the life-like portrait of a five-year-old child with spiralling blonde curls, a bright smile and joyful curious eyes. The painting was titled, Everything. Ben had gotten the engraved plaque himself. He'd only told Slade the girl's name once, but Slade prided himself on his infallible memory.

"Did you ever read about Oliver's EA while he ran Queen Consolidated and the new CEO of Palmer Technologies?"

Ben shook his head mildly, his disinterest and confusion showing in his furrowed brows. He only gathered what Intel he could and listened to Slade's vendetta because it consumed his business partner's every thought and he considered Slade a friend as well.

"I'm not the mingling type, you know that," he said tiredly. "Jun handles all our acquisitions and trade agreements, a position he shared with Isabel for a short time. All I do is make a speech at the annual major shareholders banquet."

Slade slid a folder across the desk and Ben opened it, his face paling as he looked over the contents.

"Imagine my surprise when I learned that your precious Felicity, is none other than the Arrow's Girl Friday."

Ben stepped away from the desk, his fists chenching at his sides. "No... She... She wouldn't. My little girl would not help a murderer."

Slade chuckled darkly. "Like father, like daughter. She's got your smarts, there's no doubt about that. But her loyalty is misplaced. I'm assuming you don't want me to make an example out of her."

That got the Doc's attention and snapped out of his weariness and disbelief in a flash of anger. "You won't touch her," Ben growled, his posture radiating a rage that was always just beneath the surface.

The Mirakuru had cured his broken mind and healed his mortally wounded body but it didn't heal the betrayals, it amplified them. He had only forgiven his sister because the woman had thrown herself at his feet when he'd finally reached out to her after Slade had healed him.

Donna on the other hand, had hidden his daughter for nineteen years. There was no trace of a Donna Smoak anywhere. Where ever she'd hidden, they had sheltered her well. He'd been looking for Felicity Gruener (it was on her birth certificate after all) when all along he should have been searching for Felicity Smoak. He was so angry at his own stupidity and he had no outlet. He threw his desk chair across the room and was about to throw a heavy bronzed war helmet out the window when two strong hands stopped him.

"You'll get your chance to release the anger, but not at the expense of all you've built. Don't let them take anything more from you."

Ben felt the weight of Slade's words sink home and his anger ebbed. Slade was right. He was successful. He had regular discreet counselling to help him deal with his nightmares and his episodes (he occasionally had relapses where his nightmares bled into his reality). Surrounding himself with fact help him cope. His home and his office were like war museums. Living in a modern day, peaceful Germany helped too.

He would have his day. It was more than two decades late for his father but he had succeeded in his dream. They had finally unlocked the secrets of the Mirakuru. They could make more at any time. They also had the antidote that S.T.A.R Labs had engineered and they would find a way to render it ineffective. Then the world would beg. All those that had hunted their people, herded them like animals to the slaughter, he would make them pay. There was something down in the basement that had resulted from their experiments with the first batch of manufactured Mirakuru. He called himself Grundy and he was hungry for blood.

The guilty who didn't repent their sins would face an unstoppable justice. Heaven would decide their fate. They would die by the serum or battle an unspeakable being, the unstoppable creature living in the basement. Only the truly innocent would live.

But first he had a more pressing concern. He would find a way to reveal Donna's true face to their daughter and she would know he heartbreak of what it was like to lose a child.

He would need Slade's help though. It had been many years since he had been to the states, and he knew almost nothing about his daughter's life. He knew from Slade's smug expression that the man already knew what he was thinking.

"My plans will involve your precious Felicity. I can promise you that she won't come to any harm, unless she decides to interfere. However our plans are for Oliver to be out of Starling before she notices."

"I want to know everything that could involve my daughter."

Slade smiled. "I thought you might. Your presence in Starling could provide just the distraction we need. I leave tonight."

Ben collected a few things from his desk and put them into a briefcase. "Do you know where my wayward wife is?"

Slade nodded. "We were able to trace a home address and phone number through Felicity's academic records."

"Have your man arrange for Donna to make a trip to visit my daughter. It's long past due for a family reunion."

"I will have him do that as soon as Oliver Queen is out of the picture. I have a family reunion of my own to arrange."

::: ::: :::

**Uptown, Starling City**

Oliver entered Waller's townhouse through the cellar. He noticed that the transformer box had been tampered with. The main line had been severed, also the phone lines where shredded.

He used the stairs as quietly as possible, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness, from surrounded by bright street lights.

The door to the basement was unlocked and he was able to enter the kitchen quietly.

The room was a mess. It looked like Waller had put up a hell of a fight. Pots were scattered, the knife block was empty, he noticed several blades stuck in various points around the kitchen. There was pot on the stove with mould ridden half made stew in it and the fridge door was open.

He texted Diggle, Waller's address and wrote that whoever had Waller had taken her from his location.

Oliver was momentarily blinded by the brightness of his screen, after putting it away that he missed a broken wine glass that was on the floor. His boot crunched it under foot, creating a loud noise.

It was then that he heard a groan. It sounded soft and pained, like a dying animal.

He followed the direction of the sound and even his experiences with torture and mangled bodies didn't prepare him for what he found.

Amanda was staked to the wall with her own knives. It certainly explained the missing steak knives from the kitchen knife block. Her face was a swollen mass of mottled flesh. Both her eyes were nearly completely fused shut but from the one that was still partially open, he knew she could see him.

At first she seemed to recoil in terror but then she blinked and all the tension and fear seemed to wink out of her. The smell of blood and other bodily fluids was rank in the air and Oliver wished he could air the room out but she was in the only spot in the house that had no windows. Even the bathroom he passed while looking around had a small frosted window. This was a convenient spot if you wished to avoid nosy neighbours and avoid prying eyes. It was a reading room of sorts. It had a large floor to ceiling book shelf that covered one wall, a fireplace on the other and a large armchair and a small tea table in the centre of the room.

Waller was dressed in a silk robe and what used to be a cream negligée. It was soaked in blood. The skin on her arms and been sliced into strips, he could almost see the muscles in her forearms. Her feet which he'd only ever seen enclosed in black pumps were bare and pinned down to the wooden floorboards with two more steak knives.

Oliver dialled Lance and reported the crime. He also advised that the Captain send an ambulance. He found a throw on the back of the armchair and put it over her shoulders, covering her from the front.

"I can't take you down without the medics here. You'll go into shock."

"Kill me," she whispered weakly.

Oliver met her gaze which was cloudy and narrow but stubbornly focused on him. "You don't get to go out like this. You still have too much to atone for Amanda. This hasn't killed you and neither will I."

"Your list," she gurgled.

Oliver felt his gut twist and roll in his belly. "I don't kill anymore."

He'd tried but even while facing the most feared fighter he had ever heard spoken of like a ghost tale, he didn't have the conviction to be deadly and strike like he would have when he first came back to Starling. He wasn't that killer anymore. He wasn't the stone-cold monster that ironically Waller had forged him to be. The interrogator and operative that she was probably wishing he was right now.

He saw her stiffen and her eye roll back when her eye had caught something over his shoulder but he didn't catch the assailant in time.

Before his vision went black Oliver saw a man hovering over him. He recognised him as Waller's bodyguard/driver but the expression that the man wore was of someone who had never taken orders. He'd never been anyone's underling. His eyes held a look he'd seen only once before. On a man that was entirely too confident he had no fear. And that man was Ra's al Ghul.

"You'll find yourself wishing you'd changed your mind about that," the dark haired man said to the unconscious figure that lay at his feet.

He stepped over Oliver's prone form and caressed Waller's wet cheek. She had been crying and her tears were mingling with blood and dirt on her skin.

"Don't cry, darlin'. The pain will be all over soon." That said he yanked one knife free and threw it into the cold fireplace. "Goodbye, sweet Amanda."

With ease he lifted Oliver in a fireman's hold and took him from the room. By the time Lance and the medics arrived, they were long gone.


	7. Connection

After agreeing to Moira's terms, Sandra made arrangements to leave Starling. She accepted her second choice, letter of offer to Central City University and spoke to the Dean about deferring for a year so she could have the baby and then focus on her studies. When the Dean had asked if she had really thought everything through, the commitment of what having a child would entail - emotionally, financially, and physically, and the extra strain it would put on her if the father wasn't going to be in the picture. Sandra assured her that while she would be a single parent, she had very generous support from family. She would have all the help she would need. The Dean approved her request to defer her enrolment.

::: ::: :::

Sandra heard about Oliver's disappearance in the news. She thought about contacting Moira, to offer her condolences but then decided against it. It was months ago that she had agreed never to visit Starling again. To never contact Oliver. To disappear and make a life for herself somewhere else. Moira hadn't pushed her to make a decision either way, but she seemed almost relieved when Sandra had said she would continue the pregnancy. But following that last meeting, Moira had never given any indication that they would ever see each other again.

So Sandra would have fallen over in shock had she not already been sitting down, when her visitor made a very unexpected appearance.

"Mrs. Queen," she breathed in awe and bewilderment. She was so rattled that she didn't even invite the woman in or offer her a chair.

"Please, call me Moira." Oliver's mother stood in the doorway carrying a large brown paper bag and a cuddly stuffed dog. "I know it's not the traditional gift but Oliver loved dogs. We couldn't keep one because Thea's allergic. And I remember the hospital never giving enough food for a nursing mother. I wasn't sure of your dietary preference so I got a little of everything from the organics grocer down the street." She seemed to catch that she might be rambling and fell silent, watching Sandra with some apprehension. "May I come in?"

Sandra nodded wordlessly. Her throat worked nervously and she drew the drowsy baby away from her breast. After she straightened her shirt, she asked her most pressing question, "How did you know?"

Moira smiled gently in an almost indulgent amused expression and took the vacant chair by the window. There she set the bag of food on the tray table. "I have my sources. While he doesn't have the Queen name, he might be all I have of my son. I hope you'll permit me this one moment of intrusion to your life. I promise it will be the last, unless you wouldn't mind..." Her voice thickened and Sandra watched Moira turn her head, collecting herself. When she turned back her eyes were suspiciously moist. "When I made you my offer, it was so that you would both have the best hope for the future."

Moira knew her son and all his many flaws. Oliver was irresponsible and hot tempered, he still had a lot of maturing to do. Despite his best intentions of standing by the girl, he would have ruined all their lives, his own, the girl's and his child's. She still believed she had made the best choice. Sure she could wonder that maybe Oliver would still be alive if he had stayed and known the truth about the child. But what ifs never did anyone any good.

All reports said Sandra was a sensible young woman who would make a fine mother and role model for her child. She had invested well, bought a small house and was leasing out a room to a female pre-med student to help with the bills. Moira knew of her plans to return to her studies and she had seen the resumes of the carers the woman was interviewing. She didn't regret her interference. She only hoped that the woman was gracious and allowed her a small amendment.

"A future my son no longer has," she said softly. "It is selfish of me to ask, but if you would permit it, I would like to stay in touch. Watch his progress?" Her eyes fell on the baby's crib where the name card was displayed. "You named him Connor? It's a strong name, lover of wolves." She looked down at the blue eyed husky that lay across her lap and gave a short laugh. "Oliver would have liked that, I think."

Sandra wrapped Connor snug in his blanket and tucked it away from his sleeping face. "His name is Connor Robert Hawke. I didn't want to be so obvious as to name him after his father but I thought... I wanted to honour their memory in a small way and give Connor something of them." She watched Moira's face fall and her hands twist together. "I'm sorry. I haven't sent the paperwork, I can change it if you're not happy."

Moira held up her hand quickly. Her other hand searching her shoulder bag. She pulled out a embroidered handkerchief and held it to her eyes and then her nose. She smiled thinly at Sandra. "It was unexpected, that's all. Robert would have been impressed. He's a beautiful baby."

Sandra smiled proudly at her son. "He is. Would you like to hold him?" She saw Moira's eyes grow wide. It was strange to see the woman who was always so poised and graceful, perfectly poker faced reveal so much expression. She seems stunned immobile for a long breath.

Slowly she placed the stuffed toy on the end of the bed and held out her arms. Her eyes never leaving Sandra's until she held Connor in her arms and then all her attention was focused on him.

"Hello there, little darling."

Sandra watched quietly in captivated bewilderment as a woman she thought of once as made of iron and stone, fierce like a lioness protecting her cubs, could be this tender, gentle, cooing lady that was sitting next to her bed.

It was in that moment that she realized that she had misjudged Oliver's mother. She was anything but unfeeling and aloof. She would literally do anything for her children. Even grovel to a woman she'd paid off to disappear, so that she could reconcile with a small piece of her beloved son.

::: ::: :::

She wasn't surprised to see Moira's TV confession. Sandra didn't believe for a moment that the woman would willingly conspire to kill off a third of the city.

Connor was arguably upset to see the woman he'd affectionately called Ora arrested.

It took her all day to settle him from begging to call her. Sandra knew that once Oliver had returned the terms of their tentative reconciliation had changed. Moira would once again put the best interests of her son first. He'd been through hell some sources claimed. There had even been rumours in unscrupulous tabloids that he was covered in scars. All unsubstantiated of course but he was always covered up in public that she wondered if their could be truth to the claims. The Oliver she remembered had no qualms stripping down for attention. He had a good body and he liked to show it off to his advantage. Even without the rumours, she could only imagine what being stranded on a unforgiving island for five years would have done.

Sandra managed to soothe him and waited patiently for Moira to call. She visited a couple of times a year. Usually just after each of the major holiday and on Connor's birthday. Connor had asked once why she never came for Christmas or Thanksgiving. Moira had easily explained because she had her own daughter who would be missing her. They had never told Connor of any familial connection and Connor seemed to accept that Thea being her daughter trumped any friendly obligation.

Being young, Connor was mostly interested in what Moira brought him on her visits but as he got older his interests broadened. He asked questions about her and sometimes she answered and sometimes she neatly sidetracked him. Usually when it was venturing into territory that touched on family.

Moira called two days after she'd been arrested. She spoke to Sandra briefly and then to Connor.

"I'm afraid I might not make it for your birthday this year. But I haven't forgotten my smallest friend. Although you're getting taller so fast, I might not be able to call you that anymore," she said with a soft laugh.

"Can I come visit?" he asked hopefully. "I'll bring cake. Mom says it's your favorite too. Zucchini carrot pineapple cake."

Moira smiled widely even though he couldn't see and wiped away a stray. "I wouldn't want you to see me here. My own daughter doesn't want to see me here. It's not a very nice place..."

"You shouldn't be there. It's where bad people go. You're not a bad person," he cried bitterly.

Sandra's heart broke for them both. She hugged Connor and took the phone from him. "He'll be okay. I'll help him understand. Just know that he loves you and I know the only thing you're guilty of is loving your children. I better go."

"Goodbye, Sandra. And thank you."

::: ::: :::

A week later, Connor's gift came by courier. It was a large scale motorised car model. Sandra baulked at the sight of it when it was unwrapped. I would have cost more than her weekly paycheck. It would keep Connor busy for weeks. He was a very tactile, intelligent boy that got himself into trouble at school with not enough to challenge his intellect and being the subject of school bullies didn't help either.

Sandra had Connor craft a thank you card and mailed it to the special mailbox Moira had set up for their correspondence.

Not a month after her trail declared her cleared of all charges, Sandra was hearing of her death on the news.

Her legs hadn't caught her and she was thankful that Connor was already asleep when the news broke. She was too shocked to cry. The tears came after when she had to break it to her son that his friend, the kind older woman that smiled, listened indulgently and brought him the coolest gifts was gone.

Her heart bled for Oliver and Thea who had not only lost their mother, but had to watch it happen.

Connor started acting out worse in school. The bullying stopped because Connor actually started fighting back. Instead of knee and elbow scraps she had to start treating black eyes and split lips. It got bad enough that he was expelled. With a heavy heart and understanding he was in pain and angry with no real outlet, she decided to home school him with tutors for awhile. She knew that right now he needed her to be around. His circle of support and friends had never been very big. Her parents were a little distant. They liked Connor but she knew they looked at him and felt disappointment for how her life had turned out. A single mother, educated but always counting every dollar and budgeting, not having the freedom and travel experiences that they always wanted for her. She was going to do medicine but couldn't put in the hours needed without feeling guilty for leaving Connor. So she went into nursing instead. She promised herself that when he was older, she'd go back and finish her medical training.

Running into Oliver in the coffee shop of all places was startlingly painless. So much water under the bridge. It made sense that the first thing that would come to mind for him would be the lost baby. It was the last thing they spoke about after all. It was a little voice in the back of her head that said to tell him the truth. After all, Connor was his son and Moira's wishes didn't matter anymore. But she held her tongue because in her heart she knew it would only open them all up to a world of hurt. Something she knew Connor couldn't cope with right now. He'd just settled into a routine and he seemed happier now. As she walked away she promised herself that if he asked again about his father, she would tell him then. After all, when he'd asked before old enough to notice that his playmates had dads and he didn't, she had told him that his father was dead and back then that had been the truth.

::: ::: :::

"I think there's something important you've forgotten to tell me, Sandra," the man wearing Oliver's face said as he walked into the room.

She might not have spent much time around him but the Oliver she remembered never had eyes like this one. There was a malicious gleam to them, and his gait was predatory.

"What do you mean?" she asked nervously, backing away slowly, hoping that Connor would stay outside in the yard while she figured out how to subdue not-Oliver or call police.

"I have a son," he said his lips turning up in a sinister smirk. "And I think it's time for a long awaited reunion."

Sandra dove for the phone and pushed an armchair in his path. She made it to the back door before he caught her hair and dragged her back in.

Connor saw them and ran over screaming for her. Sandra saw his swept off his feet by another man who had been awaiting near the back porch and she felt her heart almost pound right out of her chest when they yanked a black cloth bag over her head.


	8. Observation

Thea shivered and let out a sob before fully waking. Roy was beside her on his knees but uncertain to touch her.

At his quick pointed look, Felicity understood without a word and crossed the room to lock the cell door.

"Thea, I'm here. You're safe. Laurel's gone."

Thea sat up slowly and looked into his face. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks streaked and smeared with tear tracks and dirt. "I did it, didn't I?" she whispered brokenly, her voice laced with hopeful doubt. "I killed Sara." She meet Roy's eyes unflinchingly, desperately searching his face for any sign that he would refute her words and counter the horrific memory she'd been assaulted with, the guilt she was already shouldering even with her lingering doubts. Seeing his expression of pity and sorrow, her hope faded quickly overtaken by grief and anger. "I killed Sara," she said her voice cracking.

Felicity put her hands around the steel bars between them. "Thea, you didn't kill Sara. Remember when I told you he didn't see you, he saw someone, something he could use. Don't blame yourself..."

Thea's head snapped up. "I let him turn me into this. I trusted him. He played my mother, killed my father and I was still stupid enough to trust him. How do I know he can't still turn me against you? Against Oliver?"

Felicity held out her phone and replayed the conversation from the alley, but before they got to the part where she believed Merlyn trigger Thea, Felicity warned her. "I don't know the stand-down command. But we know that pain may bring you out of it. A self preservation defense mechanism, maybe? Do you remember his words at all? Focus on the last thing you remember. You have to remember what the compulsion feels like to break his conditioning or whatever he's trained you to do. Do you want to try this? Or would you prefer to wait for Oliver?"

Thea's face paled and her hands trembled. "Oliver saw me?" Her eyelids shut tightly and she ground her teeth. Her brows pinched and she shook her head. "I... I remember fighting. I can feel the bruises, my muscles ache." Her eyes snapped open. "I was going to kill him." Her gaze locked on Roy. "I would have killed my brother!" she cried in horror. She turned to Felicity, pleading, "Help me, please. Do what you have to. I won't let him use me again. I won't let him use me to hurt Ollie. Roy, you need to get out. Then play that command, Felicity," she said firmly.

Felicity did as she was asked and it was a torturous two hours later of screaming and Thea doing her best to intimidate, manipulate and terrorise them into letting her go. It seemed that Merlyn's last command was still in effect.

It was a breakthrough by Roy that they made any headway. Remarkably he stayed relatively calm through her verbal assault. Only flinching when she did inadvertent injury to herself.

"Hey Thea, I've been eyeing off your loofah. It's got this really great handle and I can do my own back with it."

She looked at him like he was crazy for a moment. Then shook her head as if berating herself over losing focus.

Roy continued to pace calmly. "I fought Merlyn a couple times now. I'm pretty sure he can't be combing his hair that well on his own. He has trouble doing this," he said raising his arms high by his head. "Do you brush it for him?"

Thea's eyes narrowed but she didn't say a word. She seemed to be in almost robotic and single minded in her actions, her eyes never showing any kind of recognition for either of them.

"He doesn't love you. He's using you. Doesn't it bother you that he got Tommy killed? He would have been an awesome older brother. You would have had two over protective but caring brothers. Merlyn stole that from you . What else are you going to let him take? He took your father. His manipulations made your mother lose Walter and landed her in prison. He terrorised her from the moment your Dad left. Used you like a hostage bargaining chip to keep her in line. He turned you into a killer, Thea. Fight back. You're strong. No one should be able to do this to you. Fight damn it, look at me in to face. Look at me," he yelled and grabbed her through the bars pulling her until they were nose to nose.

Felicity watched her heart just about ready to thump right out of her chest. Thea's eyes were wild and her hands were fisting constantly. For a second Felicity was worried Roy might get his eyes gouged out or his nose bitten off at the expression of fury on Thea's face. But she grabbed his neck instead, beating his head into the bars repeatedly, not caring at all that her own face was being beaten as well.

Felicity moved to intervene and Thea got a hold of her instead after beating Roy into a daze.

"Thea," Felicity choked. Her vision was getting spotty and she reached for Thea's bruised cheek. "St..op, plee..se," she coughed out. Her focus was blurring around the edges and her throat was burning and closing over. She didn't look away, she stared into those eyes until she saw what she'd been waiting for. A flicker of recognition.

"Mia Dearden!" Roy shouted. He don't know why he called out to her that way, but he thought maybe out of everything he knew of Thea now, that embedded in her subconscious she was desperately trying to rebuild and reinvent her character. To be stronger, to be a better person, to honour her mother's sacrifice and not be weak and helpless. And that persona she was making for herself had a name. And that name was Mia 'Speedy' Dearden.

Thea blinked rapidly and released Felicity as though she'd been burned.

Felicity managed to catch herself on the bars and leaned against the cool metal, holding herself up and sucking up air in greedy gasps.

"Did we break through or was that Thea fighting off?" Her brain was too oxygen deprived to even begin to speculate on what happened.

Roy sat up and leaned against the crate where he'd fallen. "Maybe both," he said warily. He looked over at Thea and gave her a slow assessing glance. "So can I use your loofah?" He quirked one eyebrow and waited for her response.

Thea glared at him. "I think I remember you talking about that before. Touch my loofah and your toothbrush might take a dive somewhere extremely unhygienic, Roy Harper. Get your own damn loofah."

Roy let his head fall back and propped himself against a stack of storage cases. He closed his eyes as relief washed over him. "And she's back."

Felicity straightened up on shaky legs and made her way back to the table where she'd put her tablet. She checked Oliver's signal for the first time in an hour and noticed that he wasn't where she expected him to be, he was on his way back to the city on main highway that lead to Central City.

"Arrow, any luck finding our targets."

_"Sorry I haven't checked in, Angel. Been busy."_

Felicity startled at the new nickname but blushed instead of reprimanding him over getting his flirt on over comms. "We may have figured out Speedy's on and off triggers. We'll update you when you get in. Are you headed here or home base?"

"See you at home base."

Felicity let him sign off and removed her Bluetooth. "Roy, take Thea to your place tonight. Merlyn might not know where you live since it's unlisted."

Roy nodded. "I think that's smart. Mia?" he said fondly using her preferred nickname, "Let us look out for you, until you're sure you're immune to all this." He knew how much she valued her independence and hated feeling like a burden to anyone but she was vulnerable right now.

Thea nodded and sat down on the bed roll. "Why not stay here? Just until we're sure."

"Thea, no one wants to keep you locked up. If I thought I had half a chance of protecting you, I'd take you home with me," Felicity offered.

Thea raised an eyebrow. "Won't Ollie be there?"

Felicity blushed. "He doesn't always stay over," she said softly. "Our work schedules don't alway mesh...your his sister, we're so not talking about how I spend my off-hours with Oliver," she growled between clenched teeth.

Roy had a startled, fish slapped expression while Thea looked to be fighting a smirk. "I thought Ollie looked a little uptight lately."

Felicity shook her head and packed her things. She unlocked the cell door on her way past. "Look out for each other. You've got my numbers and I'll check in with you tomorrow.

"I thought Oliver was going to the Foundry!" Roy called after her.

Felicity ignored him. She hoped he wouldn't follow. After tonight she was wound up so tight she thought she might spontaneously combust. She needed her man all to herself.

Her phone beeped and she noticed that she had three unread messages from John.

_We found Waller. She's in a bad way, unconscious and their not sure she's going to make it._

_Where's Oliver? Can't reach him._

_Any word yet? How's Thea?_

She scrolled through her recent calls list and called John.

"Hi Felicity. I'm still at the hospital with Lyla. Amanda's in surgery and well be here until we can see her. So far she's stable. Initial prognosis, she's severely dehydrated, she's lost a lot of blood and she'll need skin grafts and there's a lot of swelling and bruising but no major fractures. She'll need rehab to use her hands again properly though and she'll be wheelchair bound for a few weeks while her feet heel."

"Who had her? Was it Slade? Do we know yet?"

John let out a tired huff. "She was found in her home. It's in unlisted address and even Lyla didn't know it. Oliver found her. She had been to tortured for a few days at least. We still don't know how they got into the compound. The gate guards swore they let her through earlier today. But it's impossible for it to have been Waller right. Someone posing? They don't do bioscan verification until you want to go sub level. How would they cheat that though?"

Felicity sat behind the wheel of her car and pursed her lips in thought. First they had footage of Waller freeing Slade and now they knew she or someone posing as Waller had accessed A.R.G.U.S command, while they knew for certain that the real Amanda Waller had been held hostage in a extremely critical state for the past couple days. Right now they had more questions than answers.

"I'll call in a favour with Barry and have him consult on the forensics. Could you let Lyla know to add him to the access list."

"Good thinking. The kid is pretty brilliant at what he does and fast," he said with a smile in his voice. "Felicity. Just tell him to be careful. Some big shot Lyla seems wary of has his eye on a certain someone, if you catch my meaning."

"Of course," Felicity said, understanding John's warning perfectly. She would might even have Barry go with Lyla after the place had been cleared just to avoid attention all together. "I'll call Oliver and find out if he's found anything else. He said he was busy earlier, that's why he wasn't on comms or answering his phone."

"Probably chasing down leads. Be careful on the roads. I'm not keen on your driving through the Glades at this hour."

"Yes, Dad," she teased lightly. "Give Sara a cuddle from me when you get home later. Night, John."

"Goodnight, Felicity."

::: ::: :::

Oliver was in the lair on the salmon ladder when she came down the stairs.

"Wow, and here I thought after everything tonight you'd be too tired for that," she said while stopping mid descent to admire the view.

Oliver smiled while fully extended and said a little breathlessly, "haven't felt up to it in awhile, but I know how much you like to watch so..." He pulled up and threw himself up another notch.

Her heart always skipped a beat every clang wondering if the pole locked properly and he wouldn't plummet to the floor. As always, it was a seemingly effortless move, flawlessly executed. He did two more sets before he levelled down to drop a safe distance to the floor. He picked up his towel and wiped his face and shoulders before he came to greet her.

The kiss left her knees a little weak and her glasses fogged from the heat of his body's proximity and she forgot what she'd been thinking all together.

Oliver smiled down at her thoroughly kissed and smitten expression and dropped a kiss on her forehead before heading for the showers.

::: ::: :::

Hundreds of miles away a man watched, his heart aching in his chest while blood trickled down the side of his face.

Watching the woman he loves kiss someone else after they'd finally started a relationship and really fallen in love, hurt a hundred times more than any other wound he'd ever felt. Including the most recent one that had almost blown a hole through his skull and ended his miserable existence.

"See, kid, I promised you a pain worse than death. We're just getting started."


	9. Reunion

**Central City**

The gun went off and Sandra didn't want to open her eyes. She heard a pained groan and then there was silence but for Connor's quiet tears.

"It's okay, baby. You're okay." She opened her eyes and trained her focus on her son not daring to look if she'd killed Oliver. Her stomach lurched and it was only rapid breathing and willpower that determined she not throw up all over her captor's stylish leather boots.

Sandra reached out for Connor to comfort him. To reassure him that they would make it through this ordeal. And she hoped to convey with her touch how sorry she was that he had to go through this owned but a sharp pain in her neck stopped her. She startled with a cry of surprise. The lab technician stepped away, and Sandra staggered. Connor seemed to sense the danger and started screaming.

Slade took the gun from her rapidly weakening grasp. Sandra gave him a look of betrayal with a promise of vengence before turning her head to look at her son who was still hooded and struggling against his captor. "You're a good boy, Connor. Be brave," she said the strength of her voice fading fast, "I love you," she breathed out. Her body went slack and one of Slade's men caught her before she could hit the floor.

"Slade, let the boy go," Oliver pleaded, blood clouding the vision in one eye.

Sandra's aim hadn't been far off the mark. He'd moved his head as much as he could anticipating the shot, but it had grazed his temple, splitting the skin open and giving him a raging headache on top of all the other circulitory issues he was suffering, to be feeling the sting he knew it might have even giving him a small fracture.

As the men took Sandra's limp body away, Connor yelling after them. He struggled and trashed so much he managed to shake the hood off. His eyes glittered with hate and anger and he glared daggers at Slade. "What did you do to her? Where did you take my mom?"

Slade didn't answer the boy but he looked at Oliver. "I wonder if he'll really be his father's son. Moira despite her mistakes was a good woman. Like Shadow, like your boy's mother, Sandra. You taint everything you touch, Oliver and there isn't a day I don't wonder why I didn't kill you the day I found you. I keep thinking that this is my punishment for allowing myself to trust anyone. First my wife, then Wintergreen, then you. There was something about you, kid, that got under my skin. I should have killed you, but maybe you are here to serve as a living reminder of what trust does to people. Everyone's always going to lie, cheat and betray you. There is only survival. The Island was simple wasn't it? You should have stayed on the Island, kid."

He put his large hand on Connor's shoulder and steered him to the elevator. "I wouldn't hold onto hope, kid but if the Mirakuru deems her worthy, you'll see her again."

"Let the boy go," Oliver begged.

Slade looked at him back at Oliver with no pity. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he learns all he needs to. I trained his father after all."

Slade had left him to bleed and drift in and out of consciousness from fatigue and blood loss . How long he'd been chained, he would roughly estimate a few hours from the acid build up in his arms and the stirrings of hunger in his stomach. His tongue would feel drier if it had been more than a day and his skin would be less reactive. He wasn't severely dehydrated yet. But if the blood loss continued that would change quickly.

When Slade returned he came bearing a tablet. He showed him footage of the lair and he saw himself training. He frowned in confusion when he saw the time stamp and his confusion only grew when he saw Felicity enter the range of the camera. She was wearing the same outfit he'd left her in when he'd gone to find Waller.

Hearing Slade's laugh and his words after witnessing his love kiss this imposter Oliver began desperately praying and planning an escape. His family was in danger. Felicity was in the most danger. Slade swore vengeance and Oliver did want to imagine what sick scheme he'd planned. That imposter wouldn't be able to fool his woman for long. Felicity knew him better than he knew himself at times and that meant she didn't have a lot of time. Because assassins moved quickly when their cover was blown. The countdown was on.

::: ::: :::

**Starling City**

Oliver drove them home from the Foundary. And while the drive was normally a quiet one, usually they were exhausted from the days and sometimes late nights wearing more than one hat, they just sat in comfortable silence. Sometimes Felicity even napped till they got to her place.

But tonight her brain wouldn't switch off. She felt edgy and over charged. She put it down to all that had happened with Thea. Gingerly, she fingered her throat.

"What happened?" Oliver asked, his voice edged with a growl.

Felicity dropped her hand straight away and shifted straighter in her seat. It was stupid of her to believe that he wouldn't notice, but considering he hadn't remarked on it at the Foundary, she'd mistakening thought he would let her talk about it if she wanted to. She realized that wearing a coat with a high collar, he might not have seen it but she'd definately drawn attention to her neck with her move just now.

When she didn't say anything further, Oliver reached over and pulled her collar down so he could see the forming bruises clearly. Felicity was certain from the discomfort she felt that there were clear finger imprints on her skin.

"Who, Felicity?" Oliver demanded.

Felicity blinked and swallowed, regretting it immediately when she felt her throat close up. She took in a deep breath through the nose and forced herself to relax, and let it out slowly, passed her lips. She met his eyes, knowing if she didn't, he would work himself up into a fight of irrational temper.

"While you were gone, Thea had another episode, but we were able to break it this time and she ko knows everything that happened, well enough to piece together a full picture for herself. You can bank on the fact that she'll never trust Merlyn again."

Oliver's grip tightened on the wheel and his knuckles whitened. Felicity put a hand on his arm, almost flinching away when she felt a strange rippling sensation under his jacket. She looked up at him hoping that she was able to disguise the surprise at the foreign sensation so that her reaction wouldn't upset him further.

"She broke herself free of the brainwashing almost right away," she said quickly.

"Almost," Oliver said with a hard edge. "Malcolm made her dangerous, Felicity. I want you to stay away from Thea until we figure out if she really can stay in control."

"Oliver, I can't do that. Thea needs us. I promised her that we would protect her from Merlyn."

The car lurched violently as he steered them off the road and the tyres squealled to a stop. Oliver gave her the most stripping look she'd ever seen, as though he was obliterating every defensive wall she had and laying bare every insecurity and inadequacy she ever had for all to see. She had seen that look from powerful, predator types before bit never from Oliver. Was he capable of it, she didn't doubt it, but she'd never dreamed...well maybe in her worst nightmare that she'd ever have to face down the Arrow.

"What would you do, Felicity? If Thea had a knife to your throat instead of her hands, or what would you do against Malcolm Merlyn if he decided to put an arrow in you, if you tried to keep him from his daughter?"

Felicity felt tears burning her eyes and clogging the back of her throat. "She's your sister, Oliver. You might think that no one could love her more than you, but she's my family too."

Oliver's eyes closed and his lips pulled into a tight line before the wrinkles between his brows softened slightly and he let out a long breath. "I'm sorry, Felicity. This whole thing, Waller, Malcolm, Slade on the loose, not being able to keep the ones I love safe, it's... it's no excuse," he said shaking his head. He looked at her, his expression deeply apologetic. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did."

Felicity nodded while feeling numb and shaken inside. Oliver reached for her hand and squeezed it. Normally his hands would be comforting, warm and though rough, reassuring to her of a life lived with hardship but striving, always working harder to be better, to do more. This touch left her uncertain and adrift it wasn't the feelings he would usually stir in her. There was no spark of desire or familiarity. His touch was clammy.

Reaching out with her other hand, she ran it down the side of his face, lingering on the contours of his cheekbones before running her thumb down the length of his nose.

"I love you," she whsipered softly.

The corners of his eyes crinkled in that familiar affectionate way, but his eyes lacked the depth of feeling that she was so used to seeing there.

"Love you too, Angel."

Felicity forced herself to smile, feeling completely wrong and uneasy. A knot of anxiety started to form in her stomach and she wondered just what was going on and how she was going to deal with what her heart and her instincts were telling her.

He opened the door to the house, and Felicity went to the bedroom. She went straight to the closet and stuck her head out to see if he followed.

Oliver went to the kitchen to get himself a glass of water after closing the front door, and dropped the keys and his jacket on the end of the sofa.

"Felicity, I'm feeling like Chinese, do you want anything?"

"Who are you? Start talking or I start putting holes in you and trust me, I had a good teacher so I won't miss."

Oliver raised his hands and looked at her in surprise. "Felicity, honey, put the gun down."

"Firstly, Oliver's never called me, honey or angel. And second, you might be wearing his face and his body but I'm pretty sure Oliver would have told me if he'd developed a super metabolism that could heal a nose fracture in a matter of hours."

A slow impressed smile crept over his face and he lowered his hands. "You got me," he said, before he moved impossibly fast and Felicity ended up shooting her kitchen cabinets instead of her intended target.

The lights went out and she realized that he must have made it to the main light switch. She put her back up against the wall and used the street lights coming through the window to try and track his movements.

Strong hands clamped around her wrists and more shots went off as they wrestled for the gun. He managed to release the clip, but she elbowed him in the groin as hard as she could and ran for the door. The final shot he took at her clipped the overhead cabinets and she ducked around the corner. A knife nicked her shoulder and buried in the door when she tried to open it.

Breathing hard and shaking, Felicity froze.

"Just stop. I don't want to kill you."

Felicity edged away from the door and reluctantly turned to face him. He had another knife in his hand and it wasn't raised, poised for launch, but she wasn't going to risk his ire by making any sudden moves.

The door burst open and Felicity only had a second to call out a warning.

"Donna!" a male voice called out in equal parts exasperation and desperation.

Several things happened all at once. A single shot got not-Oliver between the eyes and he went down. The man who had been two steps behind her mother caught her under the arms as she lost the strength to hold her body up.

"Felicity, baby?" her mother cried out in panic, her eyes wide and frantic, assessing her from head to toe in the dim light.

"Mom? Oh Mom, just hang on okay . Don't talk just..."

Felicity fell to her knees not even looking up to see who was cradling her mother. She took Donna's hand and kissed it, holding her cold hands to her cheek to warm them. Her mother always had chilly hands. Cold hands, warm heart her mother liked to quip. She gave her mother a wobbly smile while she shrugged off her coat and draped it over her mother, careful not to touch the knife in her chest.

"Look at me. Stay with me, okay."

Donna smiled as brightly as she could manage and squeezed her daughter's hand comfortingly. Felicity fought to see through her tears and with fingers trembling badly, she called an ambulance while glancing back at the body in the corridor.

"I'll take care of it," a vaguely familiar voice said in a strong reassuring manner.

Felicity glanced up and really looked at this interloper for the first time and felt her heart skip a beat. "Daddy?"

"Sorry, my little sunshine. There's a lot we have to tell you but we need your mother for that. Everything else can wait."


	10. Questions

John didn't have far to go when the hospital called him. He wondered why Felicity hadn't called herself, since he'd grilled the nurse enough to discover Felicity's admission wasn't life threatening.

They had listed each other as emergency contacts when she had agreed to help Arrow. He had only recently amended his registered emergency contact to Lyla. Felicity was now his secondary.

Amanda was still in surgery under a protective detail and his wife's watchful eye so there was nothing more to do but wait until she was stable and if she regained consciousness.

Roy had checked in half an hour ago saying that he'd done a quick canvas of the neighbourhood and there was no sign of Merlyn. Thea was safe for now and sleeping.

John's most pressing concern right now was Felicity and what was going on with Oliver. Their fearless leader had yet to check in. It wasn't like him at all. If he wasn't on the run around he would have used Felicity's GPS tracking program to pin Oliver down. But his concerns over Oliver's odd behavior would have to wait. Felicity being admitted to hospital when he'd left her, safe and healthy was his biggest worry.

John found her room easily enough. A man who looked to be in his late fifties was standing next to Felicity's bed side. Their girl was pale and her shoulder was being bandaged by a nurse.

He knocked and waited till Felicity met his gaze through the window before entering the room. The nurse finished up and helped Felicity pull the gown back on to cover the bandage. Felicity blushed as she covered up her leatherette bra. Diggle had to smile, she wasn't mortified about showing her underwear to this older guy but she was embarrassed in front of him? He needed to work on her insecurities. Besides, she might not remember it clearly but he'd seen her half dressed when she'd been injured before. Come to think of it, he thought it might even be the same shoulder. The thick bandage she was sporting covered most of he right shoulder so he couldn't tell.

"John," she said her voice full of relief and gratitude. He crossed the room quickly and hugged her uninjured side before offering his hand to the man watching their exchange with curious eyes.

"John Diggle," he said, introducing himself to the stranger.

The tall, well groomed man with graying hair took John's offered hand and shook it, his grip firm but not overbearing.

"My daughter must think very highly of you to have appointed you such a position of trust. Ben Gruener," he said by way of introduction. "I had hoped that our family meeting would take place under better circumstances. I'm still trying to make sense of what's happened. I had heard that Queen was a hot headed individual but what I saw goes well beyond that."

"Daddy, please ," Felicity said softly putting a placating hand on his arm.

John frowned darkly. "What happened?" First over the fact that Felicity called this man, Daddy. The absentee father who had given Felicity trust and self confidence problems, an no small amount of abandonment anxiety which he was chastened to learn he compounded when he'd briefly abandoned the team. By extension, distancing himself from Felicity and Queen Consolidated. The second and just as troubling was the comments her father had made about Oliver. Was he implying that Oliver had attacked Felicity. The idea was so ludicrous he wondered if somehow he'd fallen asleep from fatigue and his brain had jump tracks to crazy town. Before he could ask what what they were in disagreement over, Felicity filled him in.

"Captain Lance needs to speak to us as soon as they clear me and Mom is out of surgery," Felicity said her voice hitching. "Someone attacked me at home and stabbed my Mom."

"Felicity, we know who attacked you. I know you cared about the man but he tried to kill you." Her father gave her a stern reproachful look.

Felicity's eyes went hard and she have her father a cool glare, her hands fisting around the edges of her bloodied blouse. "That... man," she said her voice dripping with venom, "was not Oliver Queen." She turned her eyes on John expression pleading, her voice clear but her tone begging for his understanding. "John, I know it wasn't."

At John's worried expression her eyes grow unfocused as though she was falling back into the memory of the trauma and her face crumpled then. "He can't be," her voice croaked softly.

"There are detectives going through the house. The body needs to be ID'd and once Donna is stable, I have to go down to the station. They want a copy of my gun licence and I need to sign a statement."

John was reeling from information overload. "Oliver attacked you and Donna and then you killed him?" His face betrayed his belief. Felicity's father made it seem like he'd put Oliver down with a single shot.

Felicity was right, it couldn't be their Oliver but things had felt off to him since earlier in the evening. The footage of Waller releasing Slade from the Lian Yu prison. And how she had supposedly let Slade into the super secret A.R.G.U.S facility in D.C when she was clearly in no state to be travelling anywhere. He needed to ask Lyla if there was anyone on the A.R.G.U.S' radar that was an expert impersonator, with real body mimic ability.

Was that even possible? How could someone change bone structure and body mass? Normally his brain wouldn't be able to process this kind of thing, let alone consider the possibility. But he'd seen a man who could run out a bullet, and break the sound barrier, he was broadening his field of belief.

"I'll give Lyla the update and have her contact Captain Lance. My gut tells me our two cases are related. I think the real Oliver went missing after he found Waller. It's the only thing that makes any sense. He hasn't checked in and there is no way he would ever lay a hand on you or your mother," Dig said with absolute certainly. He squeezed Felicity's hand. "Will you be okay until I get back? Do you want anything?"

"I'll be fine, John. I can't leave until I know Mom's okay," she said with a sniff. "But I don't want to stay here tonight."

"You can stay with us, okay?" At her warm smile of gratitude, John saw the first signs of the Felicity he knew shining through. She was a fighter, their Felicity. People were consistently underestimating her tenacity. She was their dark horse. She was always surprising them with her knowledge, her wisdom and her ability to push through her problems and get to the bottom of things. He learnt not long after meeting her, to never bet against Felicity. You'd lose. Badly because just when you thought you had all the right cards, she'd play her winning hand.

Like when he asked her to help him bring Oliver home. Really he'd asked out of courtesy. He hadn't really expected her to say yes. Especially when he told her how they'd be getting there. By budget cargo plane.

Right now Diggle could see that she was trying to put on a brave face but her eyes were watery and her bottom lip was trembling. "She's a tough lady, your Mom. Like mother, like daughter. She'll get through this, I know it. She has you to live for." He kissed her forehead and then with a passing nod to the man who had introduced himself as her father, he left.

Felicity suddenly felt awkward alone with her Dad. What did she say to him? How was she supposed to not ask questions?

"So what do you do now and where have you been for most of my life?" She tried to be calm and non accusatory but judging from his pinched and resigned expression she didn't succeed.

Ben pulled up a chair and put his hands on his knees, leaning forward to search her eyes and gauge her receptiveness. He'd hope that the three of them could talk together. It's why he'd picked up Donna from the airport and they'd driven to Felicity's together.

"Mom told me you left. She never really explained why and I didn't understand. I can hardly remember if there was anything going on. I remember you arguing sometimes, but you were different. You liked different things, so it made sense you wouldn't always get along but you loved me... I remember that..."

"Felicity, of course I love you. I love you more than anything. I hate Donna for taking you from me..."

"Mom took me from you?" Felicity felt sick. Her mother would never have done that. She'd sacrificed so much to raise Felicity on her own. She'd cried so many times over him. "She would never. Mom wouldn't do something like that. She loved you. I think she always has, there was never anyone else."

Ben was stunned and secretly pleased that Donna had never tried to replace him in their lives but he wasn't over his bitterness. His hate over her actions was rooted deeply in his heart and no matter how much his therapist urged him to forgive Donna, and suggested he try to rebuild their relationship now that he knew where she'd been hiding his family all this time, he couldn't. Donna had stolen his everything. He'd missed so much - Her education, her graduation, dances, her smiles. The triumphs and failures. And he hadn't been there to protect her. He'd barely been able to this time. He wondered how many times had she been in danger in his absence. Her was her father, he was supposed to be her strongest guardian, her most loyal champion and provider. He had wanted it all, to see it and experience it and all that time they could never get back.

"Do you remember me being in an accident? Where I got these burns?" Ben opened his cuff and rolled up one of his sleeves to show her the burns on his arms. The skin grafts and the special healing gel they'd applied had healed most of the damage from the accident but where a mix of chemicals and fallen in his hands and arms, he still bore the scars. He watched Felicity's eyes widened as she looked at his arm.

"I do remember." Her expression clouded and he watched her nervously twist her blanket. "Is that why you left? Did you need more treatment? Was it that bad you had to go away? Why didn't you come back? Why would Mom move us and not tell you?"

Ben ran a hand over his face and Felicity caught a glint of gold on his finger. He saw what caught her attention. He looked at the wedding band on his left hand. "Yes, I took my vows to heart. She's still my wife and you are my daughter. I was sick, honey. There are days when I can understand why your mother did what she did. But most of the time, I'm just angry. Angry at my sister and your mother for putting me in that place. For keeping you from me and then disappearing all together. You have to believe that as soon as I got myself well I wanted to see you, Felicity. But no one knew where Donna had moved. Divina, my sister, didn't know and Donna never contacted her after she moved. I think she was afraid I'd take you away. And she's partially right. I would have taken you, if she'd tried to get me put in an institution again. I was having delusional episodes but I'm on medication and my doctor says I'm well. Sane enough to run a Fortune 500 company," he said somewhat mockingly.

He noticed that her expression had grown thoughtful but her eyebrows were pinched together like she was trying to make sense of something.

"You said you wanted to find us. Why couldn't you? You have the means," she pointed out, with consideration to his last statement and the way he was dressed. He was wearing thousand dollar leather shoes, a cashmere coat and a Longines gold watch. And the bloodstains on the coat didn't seem to faze him in the slightest.

"What is your last name, Felicity?" Ben prompted in return.

Her frown grew more pronounced. "Smoak?" She hadn't meant for it to sound like a question but he was looking at her so expectantly as though he knew the right answer and he knew that she wouldn't.

"The name on your birth certificate is Felicity Meghan Gruener. I don't want to speak ill of your mother but she has a lot to answer for. The lies started the day she separated us and have continued to this day.

"She hid from me and I stupidly never thought she would use her mother's maiden name. Your grandmother's name was Irina Stana Smoak."

Felicity felt her chest grow tight and her vision swim. That couldn't be true could it? She would remember if her mother changed her name? She'd been in school already. She remembered the roll call. It was Smoak. Felicity Smoak. She'd graduated Canyon Valley High '07 and she in her final year at MIT while working full time at Lincoln Lab, she still scored top of her class and graduated with her Masters in Computer Science. Walter was one of the first to offer a position in IT and she'd always wanted to work for a multinational company with room to grow so she jumped at the chance. Her identity, everything she'd come to believe about herself, all she'd built, it was based on a lie.

"I don't believe you," she whispered, her voice shaking.

The man she had once lovingly called Daddy, the only man she'd ever loved wholly and completely, and he was nothing more than a stranger. A stranger who was upending her life. She remembered being in awe of him, but that was a lifetime ago.

He sat there watching her with longing and despondency in his eyes. She wished she could feel something, kinship, empathy but all she felt at that moment was bone weariness, worry for her mother and near frantic concern for Oliver. Where was he?

"Nothing I tell you will make it easier to bear or accept. I'll leave you with what I've been able to collect. The childhood photos, Divina had and original certificate I was able to get yesterday. I love you, angel. You are my everything and that will never change whether you except me back into your life or not. I'm going to ask after your mother," he said as he stood from his chair. "My number is in the file. I plan on staying in town for as long as I can. As long as it takes."

He left quietly and Felicity stared at the red folder he'd left in her lap, wondering if she had the courage to open it and read the contents. If she could even handle what she might discover. She closed her eyes tightly and prayed for her mother's recovering. Lies or not, she was the only one Felicity could ask and trust to tell her the truth. She loves her mother with every fibre of her being. They were like chalk and cheese but her mother never made her feel like she was second in anything. Her needs, her wants, her dreams had always come first for as long as Felicity could remember. Regardless of how conflicted she felt over her father's reappearance, she never doubted that her mother would have only had her best interests at heart.

It was in that moment, staring at her mother's blood staining her clothes that she decided she wouldn't read the file. She would wait until they could open it together.


End file.
